


Blood For Blood, Babe

by Aubrie1234



Category: Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Genre: F/M, Hints of the Monstrumologist series, Vampires, more characters may be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 18:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18834160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aubrie1234/pseuds/Aubrie1234
Summary: "If you knew this whole time what I was, why did you choose me?""I didn't. The rings choose who they think will best wield them, and you turned out to be their best pick for Fire." Gaia laid a hand on his shoulder, "Don't be ashamed, Wheeler, because you're still you, and that doesn't change."-----------------All he had known for most of his life had been hate and fear, hate of him by those that feared him and fear that turning the next corner would be the last thing he would ever do. After being given a second chance, he stayed quiet for fear that his friends would hate him, just like everyone else.He should've known better.





	1. Dmitri

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was originally posted on FF.net and I decided to add it here as well. This will have a realistic interpretation on vampires based in science as much as it can and I hope that it's understandable. If not, I can explain my reasoning behind it or on specific things. I hope none of these guys are OOC and that you like the story, so here it is.

I gave you blood, blood, gallons of the stuff  
I gave you all that you can drink and it has never been enough  
I gave you blood, blood, blood  
I'm the kind of human wreckage that you love

**- _Blood_ , My Chemical Romance**

* * *

All he had known for most of his life had been hate and fear, hate of him by those that feared him and fear that turning the next corner would be the last thing he would ever do. Yet, over the course of 16 years, he had managed. He had survived, partially because of his own skills and because of the friends he had made. But they didn't know what he was, he knew that if they knew they would also fear and hate him. Sometimes he even hated himself.

But then, after he had turned 17 and gotten a small snack, after saving a man's life, he was given a second chance. He almost hadn't accepted until he saw how the others were so invested in saving the world. And, when he saw what a change he could make, he hoped that it would overpower his secret. And sometimes, he wondered if Gaia herself knew. After all, she was the Spirit of the Earth, she knew everything about everyone. And, if so, why did she have him become a Planeteer? Didn't she know the  _danger_  everyone was in while he was around?

He was a monster, even his family knew it, and that was one of the reasons he didn't get along with his father. Besides buying him the alcohol he wanted, his father had always been afraid of him and treated him like trash. He had fought back once, but it hadn't ended well. His mother still loved him, though, and he thought it gave true to the phrase, 'A face only a mother could love.' She was the only other who knew what he really was, and yet she still loved him. He was sometimes afraid that he would hurt her, but he would always go back and see her, because she was the only one that he knew loved him for sure. He didn't even know if Gaia really cared about him sometimes, but he certainly cared about her. She was like his mother all over again, just...without his father in the picture.

Then there was the Captain. Planet certainly gained his puns and his mullet haircut from his personality, but sometimes he didn't feel completely safe. Yes, Planet was there to protect his Planeteers, but then again, his father was supposed to protect him, wasn't he? He'd learned the hard way how much of a lie that could be, so, even though he trusted Planet to an extent, he was still wary. And he swore that Planet felt that sometimes with his Heart Power, even though he didn't want Planet to know. But then there were times that he wished Planet was around to comfort him, like the father he had never had, but he never got that because Planet was the Earth's protector, he wasn't someone you could just call up for anything.

So, he stayed quiet and didn't let anyone know. No one had to know, because he would never let his secret out. No one would hate him or fear him. No one would treat him like trash. But then again, sometimes the unexpected had to happen.

* * *

"What's going on this time, Gaia?" Gi asked as the Planeteers gathered together in the Crystal Chamber.

"Nothing good, I'm afraid." Gaia waved a hand over the screen to show a small city, nestled somewhere out in the country, as there was a lot of snowy landscape around with nothing in the way, "This is Volgograd."

"It used to be Stalingrad, once upon a time." Linka added, though sounding a bit submissive, "I know of it well."

"Then you may be of some help to this mission." Gaia said, "There's nothing really polluting happening there, but something strange is going on. I can feel that something's not right, and it's different than what I felt when it was terrorized."

"And you want us to investigate?" asked Kwame.

"Yes, just to make sure that nothing bad is going on." Gaia nodded, "But be careful, Planeteers. I don't want any of you to be caught up in danger, especially if Volgograd gets targeted for bombings again."

"We will be safe, Gaia." Ma-Ti assured her, "Do not worry." The Planeteers then ran off to the Geo-Cruiser.

"It's always a mother's job to worry..." she muttered as she watched them run off, hoping that they would be okay and that this feeling was nothing. But she knew better, that something was going to come out of this adventure, and she wasn't sure if it was going to be good or bad.

* * *

Eyes watched from high above, out of the light of the lamp-posts that always lit the streets. It was late at night, even in the winter months, and barely anyone was about. Not a good time for anyone to hunt, but he was desperate. He hadn't had a proper meal in a while and he was starving and thirsty as hell. If he didn't eat soon, he was going to die. That was why he was out to night, to hunt down some prey.

He sniffed the air, hoping to catch a scent, but found nothing. He didn't have to worry about other strong smells, though, since Winter made the air so crisp and clear and there weren't any plants to think of. He jumped from his perch on the lamp-post to the top of the nearest building and began walking, breathing the air and trying to take out the slightest hint of prey to hunt. He didn't catch much on the wind except the hint of an animal, and that was better than nothing. He followed the scent to the backyard of a house and found a dog outside, right in the backyard. Perfect.

A man lived in that house, a middle-aged man, and when he heard barking, he tried to ignore it. He held his pillow over his head and tried to go back to sleep, but the barking wouldn't stop. Throwing the pillow off, he sat up and growled, "Проклятая собака  **(1)**." before going to the window. Just before he reached it, though, the barking stopped. Tempted to go back to bed but curious at what the barking was about, he looked outside. Everything was there...everything except the dog. And he knew that because the rope that tied his dog to its doghouse was snapped and there was no dog to be seen. Frowning, he went out of the house to search for his dog, reasoning that it had gone after an intruder and hadn't gone far. Flicking on a flashlight, he exited the house and looked around. There was no break in the fence, nothing to suggest that his dog had escaped the premises. Then he felt something drip on his shoulder. He touched it and saw a dark liquid shining on his hand. A feeling of fear rising inside him, he looked up and panned the flashlight to follow his sight-line.

And then he screamed.

* * *

"We are here." Kwame announced as they landed. The Geo-Cruiser hovered softly to a standstill just outside the limits of the city and the Planeteers clambered out to take a look around.

"I wish we did not have to come here." Linka was nervous, "This is a very infamous place."

"I'm sure it's not that bad, babe." Wheeler told her, only to be smacked on the arm.

"боже мой  **(2)** , Wheeler, do you not know what Stalingrad  _was_? Show respect to this place!"

"She's right." Gi nodded, "This was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. The name was changed, but it's still got that feeling."

"I feel it too." Ma-Ti admitted, "I hope we can finish what Gaia needs and leave quickly."

"I just wish we had more to go on." Wheeler said, "She didn't know what we were even supposed to look for."

"Not the first time we have had to look around for clues." Kwame said, "Come." he led the way into the city, though Ma-Ti and Linka were more hesitant to check things out that the others. As they walked into town, a van rushed by, startling them.

"Do you think there could be an emergency?" asked Gi, "It could lead us to whatever Gaia was feeling!"

"It's not like we have any choice. Follow that van!" The Planeteers chased the vehicle as far as they could, where it luckily stopped nearby at a house.

"Контроль животных  **(3)** , that stands for 'Animal Control.'" Linka translated the writing on the side of the van.

"Heart." Ma-Ti used his power to investigate if there was a dangerous animal they were dealing with and quickly pulled his hand away, "Oh my, the poor dog..."

"What is it, buddy?" asked Wheeler.

"I did not catch all the details, but it seems they are picking up a dead dog from that house. It was attacked last night." Ma-Ti shook his head, feeling sorry for the dog.

"Did you catch any details about what could have attacked it?" Gi wondered.

"Not really, but there was a mention that the owner saw what happened to the dog. He's at the hospital."

"Maybe he can tell us if we ask him." said Linka, "Allow me to ask around to find where it is."

"And maybe someone around here knows what happened last night." Kwame added, "Can you ask about that as well?"

"Of course." Linka nodded and left the group, going over to some other people who were observing the house.

"I've got a bad feeling about all this." Wheeler crossed his arms, "And it's not from the feel of this place."

"Well, as you said before, we have nothing else to do on." Gi pointed out, "Maybe this mystery is what Gaia was feeling, or it could lead us to something else."

"I have got the address!" Linka announced as she returned quickly, "It is not too far. There is a bus nearby we can take." As the others followed her to the nest destination, Wheeler still felt uneasy. As he had spoken, it wasn't because of the city itself, but he had a feeling. It was foreboding, something he'd never really felt before, and he didn't like it. He only hoped that it didn't lead to something dangerous, but when working with the Planeteers, you never know. He looked to his ring and ran a finger over it, wondering why he felt uneasy, but brushed it off. There was nothing to worry about at the moment, no need to make himself tense.

The Planeteers crossed the city on a bus line and ended up in front of Отделенческая клиническая больница на ст. Волгоград  **(4)** , which Linka translated to 'Department of Clinical Hospital at st. Volgograd.' She was sure this was the place and they went in, but it occurred to them that they didn't know who they were looking for.

"Was there a name on the mailbox?" Wheeler questioned, "Ma-Ti, did you catch the guys mentioning the name of the owner?"

"I think I saw it, but I don't know how to pronounce it..." Gi took out a pad of paper and a pen and wrote the letters for Linka to read.

"С-м-и-р-н-о-в, that is Smirnov." Linka frowned, "But it is a common last name, so who should we look for?"

"Probably someone in the Trauma Unit, if the guy got a look at whatever attacked his dog." Wheeler suggested, "I'd be freaked out if I saw something kill my dog right before my eyes."

"Don't say things like that!" Ma-Ti scolded, "But you are right, that might be a good place to check."

"I have an idea." said Kwame, "Perhaps we rushed off too soon from the crime scene. Some of us must go back there and maybe find some clues, something we might have missed."

"I'll go." Gi volunteered.

"I will stay here." Ma-Ti said, "I do not think I am up for that."

"I will stay here as well, to translate for Smirnov once we find him." Linka added.

"I can go either place." Wheeler said, "What about you, Kwame?"

"I will go with Gi. You may stay here with the others if you wish, Wheeler." Before they left, Linka wrote down some phrases to help Gi and Kwame get around on the bus and the three waved goodbye to their friends, wishing them safe travels.

"Any reason to stay, Yankee?"

"Well, I didn't want my babe or little buddy to get scared." That earned Wheeler a small slap to his arm, where he rubbed it in mock hurt, "Look, I know how nervous you two are with the history of this place, but we've got a job to do."

"He is right." Ma-Ti nodded, "I hope that Kwame and Gi find something so that we can finish this and leave."

"I suppose. Allow me to ask for anyone that has come in recently."

"I wish we did not have to rely on Linka so much." Ma-Ti spoke once their European friend was gone.

"It's not like any of us can speak Russian." Wheeler pointed out, "But it's alright, she'd tell us if it was bothering her, right?"

"I guess..."

* * *

"Here it is." Gi recognized the house exterior easily, and the van was not out front anymore, "Do you really think we missed something?"

"We didn't get a look at where the attack happened." reasoned Kwame, "Perhaps we will find something too give us a lead there."

"Maybe." they walked up the path to the front of the house, "Since the owner isn't here, do you think we should scale the fence or see if the door is open?"

"Let us try here first." Kwame turned the doorknob and found it locked, where the two then went around to the tall, white wooden fence. There was no gate and, before they went over, they looked around, able to see just above the top of the fence, and saw the broken leash tied to the doghouse.

"There!" Gi pointed to the house, "Does that door look broken to you?"

"Only one way to find out." Kwame pointed his ring at the ground, "Earth!" A small hill formed underneath them, pushing them up slightly so they wouldn't have too much trouble scaling the fence. Once they were over, they quietly ran across the yard, hoping no one would see them.

"This is definitely severed." she help up the leash, "It's too clean of a cut to be broken. Do you think whatever attacked the dog did this first?"

"Maybe, but why?" Kwame checked the back door as he answered, "Someone was certainly trying to break in, so perhaps this was a simple robbery gone wrong?"

"I can understand needing to deal with the dog if that was the case, but they why not leave it tied up so it couldn't get to you?" Gi frowned, "Unless you take pleasure in hunting down innocent animals just for the fun of it."

"As bad as it sounds, that is a fair reason." Kwame didn't like the option, just like Gi, but he knew it was possible, "But this door, it's solid wood. Locks can be broken, certainly, but what kind of person would be able to make it bend and break like this?" He gestured at the door, which was slightly bent in places, as if someone had tried to chop their way in, but without an axe. The wood was broken and uneven and in places it was possible to see inside the home.

"My question is, why try to break down such a hard door instead of a window?" Gi added, "It's like the guy didn't know how to break into houses."

"Then maybe he wasn't, not at first. Ma-Ti said that the owner saw what happened to the dog. Maybe someone tried to steal the dog but were caught in the act and tried to attack the owner afterwards."

"And leave the dog for dead?" Gi shook her head, "None of this is making sense, but we've dealt with worse. And what's that by your foot?" She pointed to a discoloration in the porch stone, just before it met the grass. It was in the sunlight, just out of reach of the shade, and it seemed to be more of an earthy color than the grayish stone.

"I believe," Kwame said as he knelt to examine the stone, "this may have been where the dog was killed."

"So little blood?"

"This is very strange."

"Hm..." Gi, taking note of where the dried blood was, looked up to the roof and saw a discoloration on the drain pipes, "Maybe it wasn't killed here, on the ground." Kwame followed her gaze.

"On the roof?"

"I don't think that's rust I see up there, and maybe we'll get some answers." Going to the back door, Gi blasted it open from the inside, as she had taken note of which side the hinges were on. The water spray for a nearby sink easily forced the door open and they went inside, climbing the stairs to reach the attic. From there, they exited through a window to reach the top of the house, careful where they stepped as they looked around.

"Here it is." Gi examined the drain pipe she had seen before. From below, there had been dried blood on it, from the side to the underside, but from above, there was nothing in the pipe itself.

"It seems the blood may have either been applied to the pipe by hand, or dripped down from something just above the side of the pipe." Kwame pointed out. Gi nodded in agreement.

"But except for this, I didn't see anything else. Did you?"

"No, not at all. Perhaps the others have learned something."

"Let's go see them, this place is starting to give me the creeps." The Planeteers made their way down and out of the house, hoping to catch the next bus back to the hospital.

* * *

They had managed to find the Smirnov from the night before and he looked terrified. He was pale and there was a slight stutter to his voice whenever he answered a question. Whatever had spooked the man had certainly spooked him good.

"Ты говоришь по-английски?"  _(Do you speak English?)_ Linka asked, hoping he would know some so that her friends would be able to understand. It was tiring being a translator sometimes. Much to her relief, he gave a small nod.

"Little." he said.

"What happened last night?" The man closed his eyes.

"Dark, dog bark...I check, dog stop, no dog. Go out, no dog." the man suddenly gave a shiver, "Blood on shoulder, look up, вампир." All of the Planeteers blinked, as that word didn't need a translation when you heard the pronunciation.

"A вампир? A vampire?" asked Linka. The man nodded quickly, "Is that all?"

"No." The man, who had a trauma blanket over his shoulders, pulled it away to show his arm, where a bandage had been applied, "вампир attack."

"And you escape?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for your time." Linka gave a nod and she left to join her friends, where they all went out to the hall.

"A vampire?" Ma-Ti said, "That is crazy, they do not exist."

"I would not say that so quickly." Linka cautioned, "We have faced aliens more than once. Though we fought a fake spirit, that doesn't mean vampires cannot be real." she looked to Wheeler, "Though I am not quite sure what to think. Yankee, what are your thoughts?"

"I think we should leave." Wheeler said. They were astonished at this turn of events, as they both had thought that he would be the least willing to believe in vampires.

"Are you scared?"

"No, but if a guy's talking crazy, it might be best to get out of town."

"We have dealt with worse-" Linka tried to point out.

"I know but..." Wheeler gave a sigh, "I don't like this." They could see the nervousness in his movements as he shifted from foot to foot, which was strange for the bravest Planeteer.

"Maybe Gi and Kwame found something and will clear this up." Ma-Ti suggested.

"Maybe, maybe not." Wheeler said, "And if we're dealing with a vampire, then we'll need to wait for night for it to come out and make a move. You know how they hate sunlight."

"True..." Wheeler tuned out the rest of the conversation as he began to think about what was happening, what they knew so far, and he didn't like it. As much as the others thought they could deal with it, he knew they couldn't. Only he could, and he had to make a quick stop at the Geo-Cruiser before he put his plan into action.

* * *

Another night, another hunt. Last night's haul hadn't filled him up as much as he liked and he was still hungry. It got worse as he waited for night to come again, his stomach giving a strong growl for emphasis. Food was nice, but it wasn't what he needed, because he wasn't human.

Suddenly, he could smell it, the scent of blood, and it was driving him wild. Without another thought, he began following the scent across the city, and briefly he wondered if he was being led somewhere, but put it off when he found the source: Inside of an abandoned apartment were several thermoses and one of the lids was off, smelling of blood. Whether it was fresh or stale, he didn't care as long as he got the drink. He barged into the room without another thought and guzzled down the blood, giving a small moan of satisfaction, then quickly went onto the next one. He had gone through three before he finally noticed the other presence in the room. Quickly he stilled and gripped one of the empty thermoses, hoping to bash it over whoever was in his territory. He had no chance, however, as he was held from behind, a hand on his head while another held his arms back.

"I could snap your neck and tear off your head and your immortality wouldn't help you." growled a voice from behind, "I don't wanna do that, but you might not give me a choice." A strange smell was also in the air, the smell of blood, but not quite, more of a musk, and suddenly he knew what he was up against.

"You...You're just like me!" he said in shock, "You're a blood-drinking monster like me."

"That's not true." The person let him go and stepped into his vision, "I knew what you were going through and I just stopped you from going on another rampage."

"But what's the point?" asked the first man, pessimistic at his fate, "I'm just going to get hungry again and tear things apart."

"Not if you keep up your intake." The second man handed him one of the remaining full thermoses, "I always keep these near to curb my hunger so that I don't hurt anyone."

"Thank you." the first man drank some blood before continuing, "What's your name? I'm Dmitri." The second man grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. The showing of teeth was not something that settled Dmitri, as it brought up instincts that told him the other man was dangerous.

"Just call me James." James took a swing from a thermos, "Now, why didn't you try getting some blood from the blood bank in town?"

"You don't think I haven't tried?"

"Have you tried stealing it?"

"Of course."

"Hm..." James tapped his chin with one of his sharp, claw-like nails, "I can arrange for you to get a certain take of blood every week and that should fix things."

"How?"

"I have... _influence_. And if you want to get around faster and not make too much noise," James pointed at Dmitri's shoes, "take those off. Socks too. The claws help you get a better grip on things and vampires are silent anyways."

"So  _that's_  why your feet are bare." The pale skin of James' feet seemed to glow in the soft moonlight, "How do you know all of this? How long have you been a vampire?"

"Over 20 years, since I was born. Not as long as other people, but I've learned how to adjust things. You can never fully control yourself, no matter how hard you try, but you can adjust to make things easier."

"Well, thank you, but we're still monsters."

"No we aren't." James shook his head, "At first I thought the same, but then I realized that's not true. Vampires, we're not monsters if we adjust, like I was telling you. We can do things other people can't do and we can use that to help others, even if we can't let them know."

"How are you so sure?" Dmitri crossed his arms.

"I know because I've done it before. I have friends, but I don't let them know and I help in my own way."

"And what happens when they  _do_  find out?" James paused.

"...Then I can only hope that they understand." Dmitri frowned but didn't try to poke any more holes into James' reasoning.

"If you say I can be a hero, then I'll try." Dmitri nodded, "But I feel horrible for what I've done to all the people I've attacked."

"Don't forget the dog you killed last night-" James earned a glare for that, "-but anyway, yeah, you can be a hero if you try and don't let your hunger get to you."

"Thank you for doing this, James."

"No problem. I just need your address so I can have the blood bank send you the blood. Oh, and before I forget," James gave him a stern look, "beware of hunters. They can be anyone and they  _will_  try to kill you. In fact, I could have been a hunter and you wouldn't have known it until it was too late. They would have set up a trap like this." He gestured to the empty thermoses as he began to pick them up.

"Thank you for warning me. I'll keep that in mind."

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you." When Dmitri tried to give him back one of the thermoses, James waved him off, "You keep that one, just in case you need to take some blood with you somewhere."

"What about you?"

"I have more where these came from, giving one away won't affect a thing." Dmitri watched as James climbed out the window and was gone, wondering how he was so lucky to meet a vampire like James.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Linka asked when Wheeler returned to the Geo-Cruiser, "The others are already out and searching!"

"Had something to do, took longer than I thought." Wheeler gave her a smile, "Were you worried, babe?"

"нет  **(5)** , I was only wondering where you were so we could get going!" The redhead shrugged.

"Like I said, I had something to do." he gently took her arm, "C'mon, we've got stuff to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Russian:
> 
> 1\. Проклятая собака (pronounced 'Proklyataya sobaka') = Damn/Cursed dog
> 
> 2\. боже мой (Bozhe moy) = Oh my god
> 
> 3\. Контроль животных (Kontrol' zhivotnykh) = Animal Control/Control of animals
> 
> 4\. Отделенческая клиническая больница на ст. Волгоград (Otdelencheskaya klinicheskaya bol'nitsa na st. Volgograd) = Department of Clinical Hospital at st. Volgograd
> 
> 5\. нет (nyet/net) = no
> 
> All of these were made using Google Translate, but I will fix something if I get it wrong and you guys tell me.


	2. White

The sun rise never seemed so sweet  
Entranced by the final ocean breeze  
As the world beneath him starts to shake

**- _The Grand Finale_ , Set It Off**

* * *

"Nothing." Wheeler shook his head as they met up, "Whoever attacked Smirnov last night isn't going to make another appearance."

"It's been a few hours." agreed Gi, "Then sun will be rising soon."

"I suppose that marks out our vampire theory." said Kwame, but Linka wasn't willing to believe that was the end of it.

"Maybe they were filled last night and not hungry tonight." she argued, "Gaia asked us to come for a reason, and though an attack like this is unusual, we cannot give up so easily!"

"We are not." Ma-ti assured, then rubbed his tired eyes, "With nothing happening, maybe we should sleep for the night." This was accompanied by a few yawns and the others agreed, where they bedded down for the night at a nearby hotel, the boys in one room with the girls in another. Wheeler, of course, was one of the first asleep, but his roommates were not. As his snores interrupted the otherwise quiet night, Kwame read and Ma-ti tried to get sleep. Emphasis on 'tried to.'

"...Kwame?"

"Yes, Ma-ti?" The dark-colored man had expected the boy to speak up, mainly because of Wheeler, and wasn't disappointed by Ma-ti's answer.

"How can you stay focused like this?"

"It takes practice. In my village, elephants used to roam by and sometimes roaring lions could be heard in the early morning. You must have heard the rainforest all the time at home."

"Yes, but not like this." Ma-ti covered his head with a pillow to help block out Wheeler's snoring. Kwame smiled and tried to go back to his book, but he couldn't because something he had seen suddenly bugged him. Putting down the book for a second, he looked over to Wheeler's bed (they all had their own single beds) and frowned. Wheeler had the bed farthest from the window and from Kwame, making him only able to be seen in the lamplight, but there seemed to be something off about him, now that the Earth-wielder thought about it. He wasn't sure what it was, so, even though he was bothered, there was no way for him to know, and he left it be. He did keep an eye on Wheeler, however, until he turned the light out. And that's when he saw what was wrong: Wheeler's skin was pale, and Kwame didn't think he'd ever seen the Fire-wielder's skin so white before. But Wheeler was snoring just fine, he had been fine all day, so maybe Kwame had just never noticed Wheeler's exceptionally pale skin? Kwame shook his head and turned away to get some sleep, but his instincts were not settled by the revelation.

* * *

In the morning, realizing that they had an entire day to waste before going on the hunt again that night, the Planeteers decided to try to relax for the day. It was hard, though, not because there wasn't much to do, but because they had no idea  _what_  to do.

"We could go see that giant statue on the hill." suggested Gi, taking a look at a map of the city they had bought a day previous, "I think it's named  _The Motherland Calls_  and it's part of the monument to the Battle of Stalingrad, along with the museum."

"There's also the Volga River that's near the city and the Musical Instrument Museum." Ma-ti added as he also examined the map.

"I believe I would prefer to stay in my room and read today." Linka said, "I know the history of Volgograd already, I do not need a reminder of it."

"I think I want to stay behind, too." Wheeler agreed, "There's not really anything interesting to go see."

"Not even the statue? It's supposed to be taller than Lady Liberty." Gi said. Wheeler raised an eyebrow.

"I'll believe that when pigs fly." Kwame was quiet and thinking as the others discussed their plans for the day until Ma-ti spoke up.

"What do you want to do today, Kwame?" The leader of the group looked up from his mental musings to find the others starting at him, wondering what his decision would be, and he tried to come up with something.

"...I do not know." he said at last, "I am not really in the mood to go sightseeing today."

"I guess it's just you and me, Ma-ti." said Gi, "Well, I hope you guys have a good day staying at the hotel." After a while longer of discussing where they would like to go, Gi and Ma-ti soon left, leaving the rest of the Planeteers behind.

"Why didn't you go? You weren't bothered by this place all that much, unlike everybody else." Wheeler asked Kwame as Linka searched through her things for a book to read. Kwame also wondered why, and thought it might be because of what he found out last night, that he secretly wanted to know more. His instincts were still not settled after last night and he had been wondering more about Wheeler's 'condition' (he didn't know what else to call it), so he had a chance to ask. That is, if Wheeler was not offended. Who knew how the other would react?

"As I said, I was not up to sightseeing today. And Wheeler..." Kwame wondered if he should mention it aloud, with Linka around, and decided against it.

"Yeah?" Wheeler was giving him a questioning look, wondering what he wanted, so the Earth-bearer dropped his voice so that only the two of them would hear. He didn't mind if Linka knew, but he wasn't sure if Wheeler wanted to keep this a secret or not.

"What is wrong with your skin?" Wheeler blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, I saw something..." Kwame trailed off, then shook his head, "Nevermind, it was most likely nothing." Kwame made to get up but, quick as a flash, Wheeler had a hand on his arm, keeping him seated.

"No, go ahead, tell me what you saw." Wheeler seemed curious, but there was something about the look in his eyes that told the African man that the New Yorker already knew what he was talking about.

"This may sound ridiculous, but I was sure, last night, that your skin... It was so white in the moonlight." Kwame gave a sigh, "But I could have been wrong." Wheeler was quiet for a moment, and then his face changed and Kwame got the alarming feeling that he had stumbled onto something he shouldn't have. The redhead was smiling, just a hint of teeth, but it was not a kind smile, and never had the dark-skinned man seen his friend so... _dark_  as he was now.

"I'm sure it's probably nothing." Wheeler assured, but Kwame did not feel that way, "It's not something weird if it does look like that." The redhead shrugged, "And I'm sure Linka looks like that too, if the moonlight's at a good angle. Maybe even Gi. But you might not want to mention it around the others, okay? It might make you sound a little silly with them." The younger man put a hand on Kwame's shoulder, and he got the distinct impression he was being threatened without actually being threatened, if that made any sense.

"Of course." he agreed and Wheeler let go, hiding his teeth and Kwame felt a little better at that.

"Good." The New Yorker nodded and moved away from Kwame's side to go bother Linka, who had been wondering what they had been talking about but now was trying to fend off cheesy one-liners while forcefully asking Wheeler to go away. Kwame would have laughed if he wasn't so disturbed by the previous events. It was obvious that whatever he had stumbled upon was something that Wheeler wanted to keep secret, to the point he was willing to underlyingly threaten one of his best friends. He hadn't actually threatened Kwame aloud, but the feeling and implication was clear that if the African man talked about it, Wheeler was going to do something unpleasant. But what was it about Wheeler's exceptionally pale skin that he wanted to keep it a secret? And why was it so important he was willing to threaten his friends to keep it that way? Kwame knew he had to look into this, if only for himself so that he would know what he was keeping a secret, because he knew it didn't just stop at the look of Wheeler's skin.

But just  _what_  had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Eventually night was almost upon them and they were out searching again, but stumbled upon nothing. It was beginning to look like nothing was going to happen in Volgograd, until later that night, where morning was just about to break. They had almost given up the search when a firetruck sped by, its sirens wailing, and they followed, just in case there was something they could do. They followed it all the way to an apartment building on a street near the attack, finding it on fire. Had this been why they had been called, not for the vampire but for this? Even if it wasn't, they had to do something to help.

"Heart!" Ma-ti searched the building for anyone left and found someone, a young man who was trapped inside, and so the Planeteers went inside together to help. Gi doused the flames in the closed spaces while Ma-ti guided them and Kwame and Wheeler helped break down or burn whatever was in their way, Linka following for in case they had need of escape. The Earth-bearer even had to create a new staircase of rock when they found the stairs to the second floor gone, but luckily for them, the other floors still had stairs, and they had to get all the way up to the fourth floor to save the man Ma-ti had sensed. Upon breaking down the door, they found the young man surrounded by a wall of fire, pushed against the wall. He had taken the precaution of getting on the floor and covering his airways with a piece of cloth, but he didn't look too good.

"Water!" coughed Gi, and the pipes in the walls burst to douse the flames as best they could. Wheeler and Kwame pulled him up and they began their way back, until they realized that the fire had burned down the third floor stairs. It was too high up for Kwame to call upon the Earth for another staircase without damaging the building even further and possibly destabilizing it, so they turned to Linka.

After a few events where they had had to land the Geocruiser without power, Linka had practiced to become stronger in holding things up and lowering them with Wind. Everyone hoped that this would work as they climbed back up to find a free window, and the only available one was not facing the street. An alley below with no soft place to land was not an ideal area, but they had no choice and so Linka began lowering people one at a time. To the Planeteers' surprise, the plan worked and soon they were all on the ground again, where they ran from the fire and tried to find an ambulance to treat the man they had found, not to mention themselves.

"How did you get stuck up there, anyway?" Gi asked the man, once they were in the care of the Russian paramedics. She had asked without asking if he even knew English, but to her surprise, he was able to speak it well with a slight accent.

"Arson." he said, "Someone trapped me there and lit the place on fire."

"Why would they do that?" asked Ma-ti in shock, the Planeteers finding something like that horrible but unfortunately not unbelievable.

"I-" he coughed, "I don't know, but thank you."

"We were glad to help." Linka said, "Hopefully you will feel better soon."

"I hope so too." He got a good look at his saviors for the first time and gave them small smiles, until he landed on Wheeler. When he saw the other, his eyes widened slightly and his smile twitched, as if trying to change to a different expression, and the redhead's eyes narrowed. Even though they were all focused on making sure he was okay, they also noticed the slight change in his expression and wondered what had gone through his mind upon seeing the Fire-bearer.

"Here, why don't some of us go talk to the authorities and tell them about the arson?" Wheeler spoke up, "And maybe you could help them put out the fire some more, Gi, and Kwame, you could help them get to higher floors from the outside."

"What about you?" asked Ma-ti.

"I'm gonna stay here and keep this guy company."

"Then I will join you." Something flashed in Wheeler's eyes, and though Ma-ti couldn't catch it, he didn't think it mattered much.

"Alright." Wheeler nodded, and when Kwame agreed that it was a good idea, they split up, but he was worried for Ma-ti and the other man. There had been something about the Russian's expression that made Kwame think that he somehow knew Wheeler, even though they hadn't met before. He was finding out so much about the redhead that Kwame wondered if he had ever really known the other Planeteer at all.

"What is your name? I don't think you told any of us." Ma-ti mentioned. The man glanced at Wheeler, who nodded, and he spoke to the boy.

"My name is Dmitri. And what's your name?" Ma-ti had caught the glance and wondered if the two somehow knew each other or something, but that wasn't all. Even when he wasn't using his Heart power, if he was in close proximity to people, he could sometimes feel their emotions, and right, now the most of what he was feeling from Dmitri was a combination of suspicion, fear, anxiety, and exhaustion. And, to his surprise, the fear and suspicion were aimed and himself and Wheeler, though the redhead was the one who got the most of it, but why?

"I am Ma-ti, and this is Wheeler. Our friends are Gi, Linka, and Kwame. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, молодой  **(1)**." Dmitri smiled, but it dropped as Wheeler crossed his arms.

"So, do you have any idea who tried to kill you and in turn almost killed everyone else in the building?"

"No..." Dmitri looked like he wanted to say something else but refrained from it, keeping his mouth shut as Wheeler turned to Ma-ti.

"Little buddy, do you think you could give us a second alone? There's something else I wanna ask him."

"And I cannot be allowed to hear it?"

"Sorry, but it's something kinda private. I'd let you hear it, but then I'd have to kill you." Wheeler gave a wink, but there was something about the feelings he gave off that gave Ma-ti the distinct impression that, though it was a joke, Wheeler wasn't lying, and so the Amazonian boy moved a few feet away so that they could whisper to one another. After a few minutes (and in which Linka had returned), Wheeler left the man alone and he seemed considerably calmer. Maybe the small talk wasn't something bad after all, but it still disturbed Ma-ti.

"Okay, so," the New Yorker began, "Turns out Dmitri here doesn't have a home he can go back to besides this place and from the looks of it, it's probably a total loss, so I said we could house him for a few days until he can find himself a new place to stay."

"What?! We cannot do that!" argued Linka.

"Babe, do you have a better idea?" Wheeler shot back. As they began to argue, Ma-ti joined Dmitri in sitting on the ambulance's back entrance, watching the two go back and forth.

"Do you really have no other place to go?" he asked. The Russian man paused for a moment, contemplating something, and then shook his head.

"I don't, sorry to say." he looked back at the building, "I had just moved out on my own a little over a month ago and look at how my life's turning out."

"That is terrible." Ma-ti agreed, "I am sure the others won't mind if you stayed a few days with us." Dmitri grinned, and though it was kind, there was something about it that made the boy anxious.

"Thanks a lot. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You are welcome, but... may I ask what you and Wheeler were talking about?" Dmitri's grin dropped and Ma-ti was sure he saw a flash of fear dart across the older man's face.

"It was nothing major, I don't know why he made a deal out of it for you." said the Russian, but Ma-ti was sure he was lying. But then what had Wheeler discussed with him that made Dmitri so scared?

"FINE!" Linka suddenly threw her hands up in the air, "I give up, Yankee! He may stay!"

"Knew you'd come around eventually!" Wheeler cheered as Gi and Kwame finally returned, the fire now out.

"What are you fighting about this time?" Gi asked, amused.

"Well, Dmitri doesn't have a home after the apartments burned down, so I offered that he could stay with us for a while."

"I do not think it is a good idea, but he forced me to agree." Linka muttered darkly.

"If he has no place to stay, I do not see why he cannot stay with us." said Kwame, and Gi reflected the agreement.

"I am fine with the decision." Ma-ti spoke up, knowing that they would ask him as well.

"Then I guess you can join us at our hotel." Gi said, "We're going back there for a long rest after tonight. Can you come or do the paramedics still need to see you?"

"I don't think so." Dmitri stood, "I only had some smoke inhalation, but it's passed now."

"You're lucky we've got a couch in our apartments!" Wheeler teased, slinging an arm around Dmitri, who flinched under the touch. Anything he did that wasn't normal could be considered just not liking to be touched or being shy, but he only acted that way around Wheeler, and both Ma-ti and Kwame noticed. What was it about the American that made him so  _scary_  to Dmitri? And, like Kwame, Ma-ti was beginning to think that maybe, he'd never really known the redhead at all, if what was going on with the Russian man was anything to go by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Russian:
> 
> 1\. молодой (molodoy) = young one


	3. Liar

Watch your step around these words cause  
They're gonna get you, they're gonna get you in the end  
Swear it's not a disease  
It's just a game of pretend  
A game of pretend

**- _Horrible Kids_ , Set It Off**

* * *

After returning to their hotel, sleeping arrangements changed to where Dmitri was sleeping on one of the beds while two of the Planeteers had to share one. It wasn't as bad as one would think, since the Planeteers had known each other for years, this was not a big deal. But much to Wheeler's surprise, Ma-ti and Kwame voted to share a bed instead of one of them sharing with Wheeler. He supposed they could do that, but it was kind of unusual, since he was usually the one sharing a bed. However, it was good that they gave him that, it would give him time to talk to Dmitri, because there were many things he wanted to discuss with the Russian man that he hadn't had a chance to before. Before the lights were out, he asked Dmitri to go out into the hallway with him and watched the blond man become nervous at the prospect. There was every reason for him to be nervous, but Wheeler tried to reassure Dmitri for his friends' sake with a smile.

"What, you expect me to pounce on you out there or something?"

"Perhaps..."

"Don't be so pessimistic!" And then they were out of the room. When he was sure the door was truly closed, Kwame got up from his reading and moved to the door to look through the peephole.

"What are you doing?" Ma-ti asked softly, almost afraid that they could possibly be heard through the thick oak door.

"I want to know what Wheeler is up to." Kwame glanced back and saw the boy's knowing expression, "Do you?" Ma-ti nodded.

"Do you also think he might have not been as truthful as we thought?"

"Yes." Kwame checked the peephole and found the other two men speaking, but from how Dmitri was looking scared, he doubted that what they were talking about was pleasant. He couldn't just barge out there, though, and possibly give away that he was spying on them, so he could only watch as the talk progressed. Slowly, though the blond was still nervous, Dmitri seemed to become less scared, and eventually he was calm again. It seemed the talk Wheeler wanted to give Dmitri was to calm him, but why not in the presence of Kwame and Ma-ti? But, just as he was about to pull away, Dmitri made a comment and what happened next nearly made Kwame gasp. In the blink on an eye, Wheeler had the Russian man pinned up against the wall with an angry look on his face. From his limited view through the peephole, Kwame wasn't able to see Dmitri's face but was sure the other man was terrified, because the Earth-bearer himself was a bit scared of the New Yorker's snarling face. Wheeler then spoke something to Dmitri before letting the other man go and turning to the door. Kwame moved back quickly and to his bed, placing a finger to his lips so that Ma-ti would know to stay quiet just as the door opened and Wheeler and Dmitri returned.

"Now that that's out of the way, we can go to bed." said the redhead.

"I'm not tired, actually." said the blond man, who didn't seem to be as scared as Kwame thought he would have after that sudden threat in the hallway, "I'm more of a...night person, I suppose you could say."

"Night owl, you mean." Wheeler corrected, "But if you're staying up, try not to wake us." The Fire-bearer also narrowed his eyes slightly and Dmitri got the hint.

"I get it." Dmitri nodded back and so they settled for the night and most slept, but they all had trouble going to sleep with all that was on their minds. In the morning, they found Dmitri dead asleep and they didn't have the heart to wake him, so they left him be. With nothing to do on after two days, they were tempted to go back to Hope Island, seeing as there was nothing to fix, but they decided to stay for a third day, despite Wheeler's argument. Upon losing said argument, the redhead went off in a huff, disappearing who-knows-where into the city.

"What was  _with_  him?" Gi asked, a little miffed herself after the argument, "It's like he hates to be here now!"

"Maybe he has a reason." Ma-ti said, and he didn't doubt that it was related to the secret Wheeler was hiding, "It could be related to what Dmitri said, about someone keeping him there before setting the fire."

"Do you think he might want to leave to keep Dmitri safe?" Kwame understood the point Ma-ti was getting at.

"Maybe." The boy shrugged.

"Well, until we have evidence that Dmitri's story is true, we are staying here for one more day." said Linka. The group then split off to do things for the day, but Ma-ti and Kwame kept close together to talk about what they knew. Ma-ti explained how Dmitri had been so scared of Wheeler and Kwame told of Wheeler's almost snow-white skin and his thinly-veiled threat, which seemed to make the mystery of their friend all the more foggier.

"Maybe they have the same secret and they both know it." said Kwame, "But that still does not explain all that we know."

"But..." Ma-ti frowned, then shook his head, "No, that can't be it."

"What is it? What are you thinking?"

"What if their secret, the whole reason why Wheeler wants to leave and the color of his skin, what if that all means  _he's_  a vampire?" Kwame considered the boy's reasoning and found it to be very likely.

"But then why did he not tell us?" asked the Earth-bearer.

"I don't know, and that's why I don't think it's right. He would tell us his secret if he thought it wasn't bad, wouldn't he?" Kwame knew of how close the Heart-bearer was to Wheeler, how they were almost brothers in a way, and knew Ma-ti was taking this a little hard. But he didn't know how to change the facts or how to word that Wheeler would have told them, so Kwame said, "I do not know, Ma-ti."

"Should we tell the others about what we know?"

"No. What we found may just be nothing and to speak of it when it might be false would probably end our friendship with Wheeler." Both now troubled by their findings, they returned to their room to relax, where Dmitri was still asleep. They gazed at the sleeping man, wondering how a single person could change everything they supposedly knew about their own friend, and turned away. Staring at Dmitri would give them no answers. They were interrupted by a knock at the door and, after exchanging a look, Kwame went to answer it. He checked the peephole first and, not recognizing the strange man outside, stayed quiet, wondering what the other wanted. He had never seen the other man before, strongly built with dark brown hair, but there was something about him that made Kwame feel anxious. It was also at that moment Dmitri awoke, yawning.

"What's going on?" he asked. Before he was answered, there was another knock at the door, harder this time.

"Nothing good." the Earth-bearer surmised, "You should go hide." Dmitri nodded in understanding and moved to the window, crouching on the sill with ease and using the curtains to hide himself. Once he was hidden, you couldn't see him at all. It was perfect and the Planeteers wondered how he could do it so easily. Another harsh knock came to the door and Kwame finally opened it, revealing the man.

"May I help you?" the African man asked, a little annoyed.

"I was just wondering if you've seen this man about." The stranger, speaking in a German accent, showed Kwame a picture of Dmitri, which surprised the Planeteer.

"Maybe I have. Why?"

"He's a very dangerous man." The stranger showed Kwame his wallet, which contained a badge, sort-of in the style of how American law enforcement showed their badges, "My name is Michael Kahl, and the man I showed you is a fugitive I'm trying to apprehend." Ma-ti, unsure of the man's intentions or truth, used his Heart power to do a sweep of the feelings in the room. Kwame was wary and suspicious. 'Liar' was blinking heavily above Michael's head and he felt confident and sure of himself, and Dmitri was putting off so much fear Ma-ti wondered how no one else could feel it. Whatever was going on, Dmitri knew Michael and was afraid of the other man.

"Well, we have not seen him, so good day-" Before Kwame could fully close the door, Michael put a foot in, preventing that.

"Not so fast." He held up a gun, "As per my status as a foreign agent, I have every right to arrest you both for holding a fugitive." And that was when Dmitri fled. The curtains blew open as the blond fled from the window to the outside and the Planeteers were alarmed. The window was too high, he wouldn't survive the fall! But then Michael rushed in and shot at the window, trying to get at the blond man. There was no sound, so he must have used a silencer of some sort. And upon going over to the window and examining his work, he gave a snarl.

"Got away again." He turned and pointed the gun at the two Planeteers, "Well now, since you've both seen this  _and_  know what that monster is, I don't think I can let you leave."

"Monster?" Ma-ti questioned, having felt no bad intentions from Dmitri from the start, "He's only a normal man!" Michael scoffed.

"That  _thing_  is anything but. Now come on, you two are coming with me." And that was how the Earth- and Heart-bearers found themselves under arrest/kidnapped from their own hotel room by a man-who-could-possibly-be-a-secret-agent-but-probably-wasn't.

* * *

After being captured, Ma-ti and Kwame learned a few things of what was going on and found them hard to believe, but it wasn't that hard if you also counted the fact that they had encountered aliens before. As it was, apparently Dmitri  _was_  the vampire they had been searching for and had only recently moved to Volgograd, Michael was a supernatural hunter and had come to the city to chase down Dmitri and end his life because of what he was. But the Planeteers found that they couldn't allow that, Dmitri was just a person, he didn't ask for any of this so why should he be hunted down like an animal? But at least Linka, Wheeler, and Gi weren't involved, that was their only relief... Now they just had to find a way to save both Dmitri and themselves.

"Thing is about those undead monsters," Michael mused, walking around Ma-ti and Kwame, who were tied to chairs but not back-to-back (he wasn't stupid), "if their prey gets away, they won't stop until they hunt it down or if their attention is drawn away. My suspicions are that he'll come for the two of you because he marked you as his prey and he's not gonna let you go that easily. But if he doesn't, then I'll need to get rid of witnesses." Michael gave a sigh, "Being a hunter is a dirty job and sometimes I don't like it, but if it means I can rid of the monsters in the world, then I'm willing to do what it takes to make that a reality."

"You do not have to do this." Kwame said, "Who would believe us if we said vampires were real?" Michael gave a short laugh.

"Plenty of people! I know who you and your friends are, I'm not stupid. You're the Planeteers, and you can summon a supernatural hero for Earth! He's not on my list, but if you guys said something about vampires being real, then people would be inclined to believe you. That's why I can't let you go."

"But we could keep it a secret!" said Ma-ti, "And Captain Planet is needed to protect the world! Do you want to take him away and watch the world crumble while you hunt monsters?"

"There are plenty of people in the world, there are always other Planeteers. I'm sure there are other people who can control the elements just like you two." Michael turned his head, as if he had heard something the other two hadn't, and smiled, "Looks like we've got a visitor." Ma-ti used his Heart power to search for who could have arrived, but it wasn't Dmitri; to his horror, it was the girls, possibly having tried to track down the boys, they found themselves here.

 _"Stop, it's too dangerous!"_  Ma-ti warned,  _"He's armed!"_ They understood the warning and tried to leave, but Michael had various tricks rigged in the warehouse. They were not going to get out easily. Pulling a controller from his pocket, he remotely locked all the doors to the building; there was no point to the windows, as they were too high to reach and it would take too long for Linka to use her Wind powers to get everyone out. However, he wasn't about to go off into the darkness immediately, he wasn't stupid. With a grim smile, he pulled out a pocket knife and went closer to the males.

"I'm sorry for this, I really am." he rested the blade against Ma-ti's skin, "But if it means you help me hunt down the beast, then that's fine with me." The boy hissed in pain as the blade cut and Kwame burned in rage. Michael was no better than the monsters he hunted if he was willing to do this to Ma-ti, even though the boy wasn't really a boy anymore. He was still the youngest, though, and that made the events no better. Michael gave a sound of approval when he saw blood begin to well up from the cut, and then he turned quickly at the sudden sound of crates falling over and a small thud. Taking out his gun, he slowly approached the sound, glancing around and back at his captives to make sure they weren't trying to escape, and disappeared into the darkness.

"Are you okay, Ma-ti?" Kwame questioned.

"It hurts a little, but I'll be fine. I've felt worse than this, you know that." They tried to get out of their bonds, but the ropes held tight. Then came a crash and the sound of rushing water and the boys were sure the girls had come up with a plan and put it into action against Michael. Then, to their relief, came Linka and Gi.

"There you are!" the blond woman cried, the two leaning down to release the captive Planeteers, "We had wondered where you had gone!"

"Thanks for sending us that distress signal, Ma-ti." added Gi.

"What? But I hadn't." This made the girls give looks of surprise.

"But if felt like you. Who could have-?"

"Not so fast." Michael stepped out of the shadows, his gun leveled at them. He was holding the side of his head, as if in pain, and was glaring at Gi and Linka, "That's the last time I let my guard down around you Planeteers. And if you thought I had one gun on me, you were  _so_  wrong!" Linka and Gi slowly stood at the hunter's urging and he had them take their rings off, along with Ma-ti's and Kwame's. He continued, "And if your fire friend comes to the rescue, you'd better hope he has a better plan than you did!" Before Michael could do anything else to the girls, there was a crash from one of the windows. Feeling that this time, the building was truly being invaded by the vampire he sought, Michael swung around and focused to get a shot. He only missed the moving shadow because one of the girls kicked his legs out from under him, and his shot was loud and wild.

"That's it!" the hunter snarled, getting back his feet and pointing the gun at the Planeteers, "Whether you're bait or not, I've had it with your antics!" And just as he was about to fire, he found himself on the ground again, and not because his legs had been swept under him. No, he had been pushed to the ground by something heavy landing on his back and this was the first time sing he had arrived in Russia that he felt fear. In seconds his gun was ripped out of his grip, his hands were pinned behind his back, and his head was pushed into the floor by a strong,  _clawed_  hand on his neck. He tried to get a look at his attacker, but the monster's grip wasn't giving him much room to move, until it allowed him to get a look. And he had to say, he was surprised at who had him pinned: The redheaded Planeteer, the one that had been missing, had also been one of his prey  _the whole time_. The other had every right to be angry at Michael, but he didn't seem to be. It was made worse when the vampire smiled and leaned down to whisper in his ear, making his pulse spike.

"You don't think I can't hear it, can't smell it? The fear pumping through your veins, just as tasty as the blood? I am a hunter, and the best part about that is watching my prey run for their lives. The thrill of the chase, or even watching them cower in fright before I give the final blow. That's why I love how fearful you are right now. And if you so much as  _ _look__  at my friends in the wrong way again, I will not hesitate to end the game then and there, killing you on the spot.  _ _Or worse__. Do you understand?" Michael nodded as Dmitri ventured out of the shadows as well as Wheeler leaned away.

"Help the others." the Fire-bearer ordered, dropping his smile, "I'll deal with this guy."

"You're not gonna kill him, are you?" Dmitri asked as Wheeler dragged Michael to his feet.

"I just said I wasn't, didn't I? But I'm not gonna let the guy go scot-free, that's for sure." Wheeler gave his shocked friends a sad look and said to them, "I'm sorry." It was all he could say, and then he was taking Michael away with him to do who knows what to the hunter (after handing the Rings to Dmitri after finding them on Michael's body). The predator had become the prey and the prey was going to get revenge in the most non-lethal way possible...

* * *

Dmitri didn't scare the Planeteers too much. They had a suspicion that he had been the vampire they had been looking for, but they had not expected their own  _best friend_  to have the same secret. And to have not told them for who knows how long? That made it worse. Gaia also not telling them a secret they knew she had to have known was also not making things better. And so, after the returned to their hotel rooms and Dmitri asked them to wait on Wheeler's behalf, they stewed with their thoughts. Ma-ti even wondered about contacting Gaia to ask her about this, but decided not to, wanting to hear what Wheeler had to say first, but it was around an house before the Fire-bearer returned, almost as if he intentionally didn't want to see them. And, with how guilty and sad he looked, they supposed that was probably the very reason why he had delayed the meeting. And when he eventually showed up, everyone gathered in the boys' room, Dmitri wincing at the gun-shot curtains and offering an apology.

"Even though this isn't your home, I still feel really bad about damaging the curtains-"

"It wasn't your fault." Wheeler assured, "We'll just have to pay a little more when we leave to cover that. But..." he gave a sign and cast his eyes down, trying not to look at the others, "I know you're all probably mad at me, and I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you. I wasn't because I had no choice, but because if I did... Bad things tend to happen when I tell people what I really am."

"And you never trusted us enough to tell us?" Gi questioned, feeling a little betrayed, as did the other Planeteers, "It's been over 5 years since we met, Wheeler, and that's not enough time for you to think you can trust us enough to tell us this?"

"You saw what happened today."

"Do you really think we would have tried to hunt you down after learning that you were a vampire?" Kwame questioned, shocked that Wheeler would ever think such a thing.

"In this day and age, even with you guys as friends? You never know. I'd trust you guys with my life, except with this, because I don't know what you think of the supernatural. And if you hate me because of what I am, that's fine." Wheeler gave a sad smile, "I'm used to it."

"How...how long have you had this?" Linka asked. The redhead crossed his arms.

"Since I was born, babe." They gave a look to Dmitri, wondering if he was also born as a vampire, but the blond man shook his head.

"I was turned a few months ago." he answered slowly, rubbing a hand on his neck, "Ever since you've arrived, Wheeler's been helping me control myself. Otherwise, rescuing you wouldn't have gone as well as planned, with the blood and all." He gestured to the band-aid on Ma-ti's neck, which had been applied after they returned to the hotel.

"But never think you'll be safe, though." Wheeler warned, "Vampires are as unpredictable as wild animals, we are  _not_  to be trusted!" He gave his friends a stern look and they wondered why he was being so self-deprecating.

"If vampires are real, then do they have all the things of legend or do you have other things?" Ma-ti asked.

"Some things are true, some things aren't. For example, we're not immortal, no matter what other people think. We still age, we can still die in conventional ways, and so on."

"He had to give me a few lies about vampires before I could trust him." Dmitri added, "But otherwise, vampires are real things and live just like humans, except with a few differences."

"I don't know everything there is to being a vampire." Wheeler continued, "But I know enough." When no one spoke up for another question, he turned to the other vampire, "The hunter's now in jail after I scared him, so you shouldn't have to worry anymore until the next hunter comes. Think you'll be fine or do you still wanna come with us?"

"I think I'll be fine." Dmitri nodded, "Thank you for your help, though."

"No problem. Just remember what I've told and taught you and you should be fine." Dmitri nodded and before leaving via the door, not wanting to cause any more damage, and left the Planeteers alone. The redhead now felt considerably uncomfortable, just  _waiting_  for the deluge of hate and fear, and met no one's eyes. He felt the instinct to threaten others and protect himself, to bare his fangs so that they would leave him alone, but he couldn't do that to his friends, so he had to repress his instincts, like he had a million times before. To the others, Wheeler looked so normal, but when they saw him attack Michael... they hadn't seen Wheeler, they had seen something that gave them a sort-of primal fear, something that scared them down to their bones. They had felt a version of it with Dmitri, but it was Wheeler who truly scared them.

"...Then I guess we can go back to Hope Island, now that this is all over." Kwame spoke, "Is there anything else you would like to tell us?"

"Yeah, a few small things: I want you to not trust me and to tell me what you feel, whether you hate me or not."

"Why?" Wheeler shrugged.

"Because I deserve it."

"Well, we don't hate you. We feel betrayed, but we don't hate you." Gi said, "You're still our friend, Wheeler." The redhead gave a bark of harsh laughter.

"We'll see how much you believe that after we get home, where you're all stuck on the island with an apex predator who knows you almost inside and out." It was both a remark and an intentional way for him to scare them so that they knew not to trust him, he  _wanted_  them not to trust him, because sometimes, he couldn't even trust himself around them.


	4. Hurt

Well mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue  
You should've raised a baby girl, I should've been a better son  
If you could coddle the infection, they can amputate at once  
You should've been, I could have been a better son

_**\- Mama**_ **, My Chemical Romance**

* * *

Barbara Blight was not a person to believe in the supernatural unless faced with hard evidence that they are, indeed, real. But, with all her previous ventures into science being foiled by the Planeteers, she decided to take a new approach and see how much about the supernatural was real and how much wasn't (and, though she wouldn't admit it, she had also binge-watched several seasons of  _Supernatural_ ). Much to her surprise, after some verifying with the help of MAL, there actually  _were_ several things that proved that the supernatural was real, mainly the vampires. And so, wondering if they were a species, Blight decided to try and capture a vampire to do research and possibly be the first person to prove that vampires actually exist. However, she was going to need help, so she contacted a few on her colleagues. Her first choices were of Skumm and Nukem, who were monsters themselves, and she thought they would have great insight on how to catch a creature like a vampire. But, to her surprise, they advised the exact opposite: leave the vampires alone. They even knew more about vampires than she did, apparently.

"I can't help you, Blight." Skumm (who she had contacted on her video monitor) shook his head.

"And why not? Give me a real reason why and not an excuse!"

"Okay, I will." Skumm glared at her through the screen and she was sure she would have seen him bare his teeth if his hood wasn't up, "They are very dangerous and trying to contain something like that is suicidal. They are smart, fast, strong, everything you are  _not_."

"Excuse me?! I am smart! Have you seen my inventions?!"

"They're a different kind of smart, a clever smart that will leave you dead or worse." Skumm leaded back in his chair, "Just leave them alone and you'll save everyone a whole lot of trouble."

"But this is something amazing!" Blight protested, "With the research I would get out this, I could write a book and I would be the leading researcher on vampires!"

"You don't get it, do you do?" Skumm snapped, "There's a reason why they're apex predators, moreso than humans.  _You do not anger an apex predator or he will eat you, and there is nothing in the food chain to stop him from doing that_. Heed the warnings and leave the vampires  _alone_."

"Then this would make my research all the more important! I would be saving lives by telling them about vampires and how to protect themselves!"

"Blight, you don't mess with the vampires." the rat man reiterated, shaking his head again, and the scientist could see fear in his eyes, "Nukem and I know what they're like more than you could ever imagine. I don't care what you want or how much you might pay us, we're staying out of it.  _Nothing_  is worth tangling with those devils, I swear on it. Just stay  _out_  of their way." And, before Blight could make another word, Skumm cut the connection.

"They may be right, you know." MAL pointed out, popping up beside her. Blight huffed, irritated.

"I'm sure they're just over-exaggerating things. Besides, I probably should have gone to Plunder first about it, he'd fund me for something like this." And so Blight began to call the other Eco-Villain, hoping he was on her side. If he could fund her and help her capture a vampire, not only would he share the glory of the discovery, he would get plenty of money out of it as well. She knew he liked money more than anything, and it was a good incentive to get him on her side.

Yet there was a small part of her worried about Skumm's and Nukem's warnings. Were vampires  _really_  as bad as they said? But Blight was invested in this, and when she got invested in something, she wasn't going to back out of it unless someone forced her too, like the pesky Planet Punks. And they had no right to get in her way this time, she was only discovering a new species and that had nothing to do with destroying the environment! At last she had found a loophole! And she was going to use this to her full advantage.

* * *

Wheeler gazed out the window of the Geo-Cruiser, making a point not to look at anyone, who were also making a point not to look at him. He couldn't look at them, he knew they hated him, he might as well leave soon and not trouble them. Gaia could find another Fire Planeteer, there had to be plenty of them around. He couldn't stay, he'd only hurt his friends, and he was willing to go away for good if it meant they'd be safe. And when they finally landed back on Hope Island, Wheeler fled into the reaches of the jungle before they could say anything.

"Wait!" Linka tried, and though he heard her, he didn't go back.

"It's okay, Linka." The rest of the Planeteers turned to find Gaia there, "Give him some time. He never wanted any of you to know and he feels bad about it, I'm sure."

"You knew?" asked Gi.

"I know many things about my Planeteers, I watched over you as you grew up." Gaia gave a sigh, "I don't know if Wheeler will come around, though."

"Why does he want us to hate him?" Kwame wondered, "We'd never hurt him!"

"Maybe not, but you don't know how he grew up. I would show you, but it's not my place." She shook her head, "For now, leave him be. He'll be back." The Planeteers were unsure of this, but had no choice to agree, as they didn't even know where Wheeler had gone. Even as they went to do their own things, Ma-ti used Heart to look for Wheeler, wondering how his friend was. He found the other deep in the jungle and at first he had been panicked for his friend upon finding him covered in blood, then quickly realized that it wasn't Wheeler's and grew queasy at finding him 'eating' an animal. Leaving him alone, Ma-ti felt sorry for Wheeler, wondering just how many things he has to kill to stay alive himself.

* * *

Wheeler glanced up, feeling a presence watching him, and wondered if it was Gaia. But then, as soon as it had appeared, it was gone again, leaving him in peace. Frowning, he licked his fingers, wiping the tasty blood off. Killing other animals like the deer beneath him was not something he liked to do, but it was required if he wanted to keep living. He had a feeling Gaia knew of his activities, and yet she didn't do anything to help the animals. Maybe because she understood that this was as part of nature as she was, that he had no choice because he would die otherwise. After cleaning his hands, he left the carcass behind to be scavenged as he looked for a river or stream to help clean off his face. And when he found it, looking at himself in the moving water, he didn't see himself. All he saw was a monster, and he had seen himself that way for so long it wasn't really a surprise.

Closing his eyes, he tried to dream what it would be like to be normal. He dreamed for everything he ever wanted, to have the love of his life and stay with them together, to possibly start a family and be a better father than his own ever was, but knew it was impossible, all because of what he was. He'd known he couldn't have anything for a long time, but he still tried to think otherwise. And hoping never ended well for him, and he was resigned to that. It was painful to hope, but he couldn't stop it.

He wished he could, so he didn't have to keep crushing his own dreams every day.

"Wheeler?" The redhead looked up to find Gaia's ghostly face hovering above him. He quickly washed his face off as she continued, "Please come to the Crystal Chamber. There's something that you need to know."

"Can't you tell me here?" Wheeler didn't mean to sound bitter, but it came out that way.

"It's about your parents." Immediately he looked up at her, eyes wide.

"What?! Is Ma okay?" Gaia shook her head and the Fire-bearer assumed the worst.

"She's fine, but your father-" Wheeler shook his head this time.

"I don't want anything to do with this if it's about  _him_." The vampire spat out the word as if it was poison. Gaia sighed.

"I know how you feel about him, but now you don't have to."

"Wait, you mean...he's dead?" Wheeler had not expected this, even though he knew his father's alcoholism would get to him someday. Gaia nodded.

"Yes, and I assume you might want to see your mother while the funeral goes on." Wheeler was quiet for a minute, then slowly nodded as he stood.

"Alright."

"I was also thinking that this time away might help you a little." The redhead paused.

"You mean about...what I am?" he asked slowly.

"Yes."

"Then you know too."

"I've known since you were born." Wheeler frowned.

"If you knew this whole time what I was, why did you choose me?"

"I didn't. The rings choose who they think will best wield them, and you turned out to be their best pick for Fire." Gaia became smaller, becoming a ghostly version of her normal self, and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Don't be ashamed, Wheeler, because you're still you, and that doesn't change." The Fire-bearer snorted and moved away from her touch.

"You don't know what it's like to be me." he said darkly, "You don't know what it's like at all, you're not a vampire."

"Maybe not, but I've watched over you as you grew, and I know you have it hard. You're as much as my son as the other Planeteers are, and I care about you."

"Just leave me alone, Gaia. I'm going to go visit Ma and then I'll be back, okay? Goodbye." Wheeler then left Gaia alone and she couldn't help but feel sad for her 'son.'

* * *

Linka stared at the photo frame she held in her hands, watching it as if to see something she hadn't before. It was a photo of herself and Wheeler, and she wondered how she could have been so blind, not seeing any of his 'quirks' until now. And how could he think that no one should know? They were his friends, weren't they? They had saved each other from death plenty of times, and Linka was sure she and Wheeler had been so close that they were just a few words shy of being boyfriend-girlfriend, and yet he had kept this from them. Didn't he trust them? Why did he want them to hate him? ...Did he hate himself so much for what he was that he didn't see anything good in all this? Linka hoped he returned soon so that she could talk to him, hope to show him that there was no reason for any of this, but with their mutual tempers and stubbornness, she wondered if he would even take in the information.

Sighing, Linka hugged the photo to her chest, wondering if there was anything to talk about at all.

* * *

Wheeler hesitated, his fist hovering above the wood of the door. He contemplated if he could leave this all behind and not do it at all, but he knew he couldn't do it to his mother. Out of everyone he had met and known over the years, she was the only one he was sure of that would love him for what he was. Even if she didn't defend him, she still loved him, and that was enough. So he knocked, and soon the door was opened by the only person who knew him for himself, and he smiled as she took him into a hug.

"Wheeler, it's nice to see you!"

"You too, Ma." He hugged her back, gentle and mindful of his strength. As they both pulled away, she gave him a once-over.

"Honey, you don't have to hide yourself here." She put a hand on his cheek, "You know that."

"I do, but I'm just so used to hiding."

"Have you been keeping your teeth and claws clean?"

"Yeah." And when he smiled again, this time his fangs were longer, both from above and below. Ma smiled back.

"I'm glad you're taking care of yourself." She made him come into the apartment, "How have you been?" Wheeler shrugged.

"Same as usual." he frowned, "What about you?"

"I'm okay." she sighed, "And I guess you're here because of the funeral?"

"...Yeah. And because the others know now, too." Wheeler sat on the couch, leaning on his knees, and Ma took a seat next to him.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's not." he shook his head, "You know I have to hide so people don't try to kill me, don't try to hurt people I love, including you. You know how much of a danger I am, what I've done, and I don't want to put  _them_ in danger because of me."

"Oh Wheeler..." Ma sighed and gave him another hug, "I wish you didn't hate yourself so much because of what you are."

"Yeah..." Wheeler leaned into the hug, "But I'll be staying here until the funeral's over. So if you need anything, just ask."

"I will. But for right now, make yourself at home."

"Okay, Ma."

* * *

"Hey." Wheeler didn't need to look up to know who sat beside him on the bench. After visiting his mother, he'd gone out to see the city for a while and it was only a matter of time until they crossed paths…

"Hey." He glanced to the side to see Trish's smiling face.

"How have you been?" she asked, leaning down to try and get a better look at him. Wheeler, who had been leaning on his knees again, moved away, trying to hide his face even though he was back to normal.

"Good."

"Why are you back in New York? Aren't you still a Planeteer?"

"Yeah, but I came to visit Ma. My dad died recently, so..." That was all Trish needed, causing her to sit back.

"Oh. Sorry." Wheeler shook his head.

"Don't be. He never was a good man and I'm glad Ma doesn't have to deal with him anymore. Don't know why she didn't leave him after I left home, but I'm glad things are gonna be better now."

"So how long will you be staying?"

"Until the funeral is over. I don't know how long for sure."

"Okay." Trish nodded, "Is there anything you guys need?"

"Nah, we'll be fine. How have you been, though?" Trish shrugged.

"Not bad. Since you saved me, I've been working on my art skills and they're improved."

"Really? Could I see?"

"Yeah, just follow me." Trish and Wheeler stood together and she took him across the city to a few random walls where her 'artwork' was displayed, and he was amazed at how she had improved. In fact, at one of the pieces, as they stared at it, he slowly wrapped his arms around her like old times. It was comforting and not at all at the same time.

"Wheeler?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you in love with Linka?"

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Isn't this-?" Trish gestured to how they were hugging.

"I know, but I'm kinda in distress right now."

"I get it." she nodded.

"Thanks for understanding, Trish."

"No prob, Wheeler." They were quiet for a moment, "Can I ask what's bothering you?"

"Mm..." The redhead closed his eyes, "I'm sorry, but I can't say."

"Why?"

"I don't wanna say you wouldn't understand, but it's just something I can't talk about with anyone mainly because they  _wouldn't_."

"Oh..." Trish nodded, "I get it, don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry..."

"No no no, it's okay." she shook her head, "But if you ever need someone to lean on, you can count on me."

"Thanks Trish." Wheeler hugged her a little tighter before finally letting go, "You're the best."

"Yeah..." Trish gave him a sad, pitying look, "I know."


	5. Guilt

If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see  
You can find out, first hand, what it's like to be me  
So gather 'round, piggies, and kiss this goodbye  
I'd encourage your smiles, I'll expect you won't cry

 **-** _**The End**_ **, My Chemical Romance**

* * *

It was a few more days later that Wheeler returned to Hope Island and, to his fortune, there hadn't been any Eco-Emergencies. As it was, after leaving the Geo-Cruiser behind, he wanted to flee into the forest, but took the time to look around for his friends so he knew where they were, if they were okay. Dawn was just coming over the horizon, so they must still be asleep. He looked into their windows to check on them and felt his heart ache. He could smell a hint of sadness from his friends and felt bad for what he was putting them through but thought it was for the best. He'd caused nothing but trouble for them, even before they knew what he was. Maybe he should just leave…

"Wheeler?" He whirled around, bearing his teeth and claws, only to pause when he saw it was Gaia. He gave her a glare as he retracted his weapons, turning back to glimpse one more time through Linka's window before moving away. He knew she wanted to talk and so moved away from the window, but that didn't mean he would answer her. Gaia followed, undeterred by his mean look. Eventually she asked, "I guess all went well?" He nodded. They were silent for a moment as Wheeler walked toward the jungle, eyes downcast so they wouldn't look at her, "Have you thought about telling them more about yourself?" He shook his head. Gaia sighed, "Wheeler-"

"Don't say it." he rumbled, trying not to growl at her, "I thought about it, and I just can't tell them. They're already scared of me, what's the point of terrifying them even more?"

"You don't know if they'll be scared."

"Of course I do. Anyone who knows who I am ends up horrified because of me."

"Except your mother." Gaia spoke.

"What's your point?"

"She's not scared of you because she cares about you."

"She's not scared because I'm her son. If I wasn't, she'd be scared too."

"My point, Wheeler, is that love and friendship can conquer any terror someone might feel. Your own mother is an example of that." Wheeler stopped and whirled around, growling this time as he bore his teeth.

"Tell that to my father! He hated me for what I was! He was supposed to love me and  _look what happened_!" he roared, "I'm a monster no matter what you say! I've killed people, I have to kill to survive, and I have no qualms about doing it again!" He slashed at her and Gaia took a step back to avoid his claws. As soon as he realized what he'd done, his eyes went wide in horror and, without another word, he ran into the jungle. It was at that moment that the other Planeteers approached, woken up by the commotion.

"Gaia!" "Are you okay?" "What happened?"

"I'm fine, Planeteers." She looked after the Fire-bearer, "But someone else isn't as lucky."

* * *

_Wheeler cowered, hiding his head under his arms. Another night, another run, another fight. He couldn't escape this, no matter how much he wanted to. He hated his father but he loved his mother. He didn't have the heart to leave her alone with all this. He's contemplated the possibility before, but he couldn't. This was also one of the few times his mother was standing up for him and things weren't going well._

_"Leave him alone, Mike! He's only a kid!"_

_"A good-for-nothing one!" His father said, "Where is he?!"_

_"Mike!"_ Crash!  _Wheeler knew that sound. It was breaking glass. His father had probably thrown a bottle at his mother. When his mother was in danger, Wheeler wasn't having any of it._ Shhhick!  _His claws had snapped out, his fangs falling out from their hiding place. His pupils constricted in a dangerous way, revealing their slit shape, and he came out of his hiding place. He didn't wait to be spotted, he only attacked. Things gave under his claws, skin tore, and the smell of blood made his mouth water. He hadn't eaten yet and he was hungry. But then he was being pulled away and thrown, he landed on his feet. He hissed, crouching to all fours in a threatening stance. His mother was protecting his father from him. Why? Just let Wheeler do what he wanted and she'd be free._

_"Out, James!" She pointed to the window. Wheeler whimpered, not wanting to leave or have her mad at him, "Out!" He did as he was told and left out the window. He was more at home traversing the city than in an enclosed space, anyway. But he didn't stray far from the apartment, worried for his mother. He crouched on the railing of the fire escape, staring into the apartment as his mother treated his father's wounds. His stomach still churned with hunger at the sight of the blood. He turned and left, knowing he'd be no good if he didn't get something to eat._

_Why did he have to be different? Why couldn't he just be normal? Why did his father hate him? Why did his mother care about his father when he was so horrible to her? He had so many questions and so little answers. He landed on a lightpost, looking down at the street and sniffing the air. Even for his age, he was better than many gymnasts, mainly because of his instincts. His mother said he was 'special,' his father called him a 'monster,' so what was he? In a way, he felt like Spider-Man. The comic hero was disparaged by the newspapers he worked for, but people loved him. Wheeler wished Spider-Man was real and could tell him what to do. The hero would know. Wheeler had no idea how he'd managed to live like this for so long. He couldn't even tell Trish or his other friends about it. He was afraid they'd hate him like his father did. He didn't want to be alone._

_Suddenly, he caught the scent of blood on the wind. He jumped down and stuck to the shadows, the only thing to be seen were his blue eyes. He followed the scent down an alley to an unconscious woman. She'd been mugged. His mouth watered as he bent down to the wound beside her head. He wasn't picky. He used his sharp claws to cut her hair away to be able to get to the wound better and began lapping up the blood. There was something in his spit that made blood not clot and so he could eat as much as he wanted, even if it wasn't good for the 'donor.' He just had to be careful to not eat too much. He kept a hand on her neck to check her pulse and when he was sure he'd had enough for the night, he cleaned the area and used her jacket to wrap the wound. Hopefully she'd be okay._

_He looked down at his hands, seeing as how they were coated in his father's dried blood, and lapped it up. One day…_

* * *

He slashed and slashed and slashed. How could he have tried to hurt Gaia? He was an idiot. A stupid,  _fucking_  idiot who tried to hurt one of the few people he cared about. The memories weren't helping. All too much he remembered his first attack on his father, and now he was glad his mother had stopped him. He'd only been a boy then, he didn't completely understand. He knew too much now about it now, but he still wished they'd gotten a divorce or something. He also wished he didn't have to come back and do what he did. He felt horrible.

Suddenly, there was a crack of a broken branch behind him. It was a distance away, but he heard it nonetheless. He pretended not to notice and hoped the intruder would come closer. If it was Gaia, he'd say sorry and run. If it was one of the Planeteers, he'd just run. If it was a threat, he'd fight. He knew threats could arrive here, even before Blight tried to kill everything with greenhouse gases. He looked down at his hands. Despite leaving marks on all trees in sight, there were no wounds or splinters. That was good.

"Please do not run." It was Linka. She wasn't close enough to touch, but it still made him anxious. He didn't want to disobey, but he didn't want to explain just yet. He needed to keep his distance. And yet… He looked back at her. She was still in her pajamas, her hair down, almost backlit by the rising sun. She was beautiful. She said, "I only want to speak with you, Yankee."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you keep running?" Wheeler was quiet for a moment and turned away, both not wanting to see her face and because the rising sun was becoming too much for his light-sensitive eyes. That was ironic. He wielded Fire and his eyes were sensitive to light. He would've laughed if it had been funny.

"So I don't hurt anyone, so you don't have to deal with me." He looked down at his hands, "That's all you need to know."

"You have never hurt anyone." she said. He snorted.

"As far as you know. All I am is bad luck, Linka. Leave me alone." Why was he still talking with her?

"Who did you hurt?"

"...My father, he was one of the few that survived my rages." He put his hands in his pockets as he watched the jungle wake up, "Others haven't been so lucky."

"I see."

"Don't feel anything bad about doing it, though. He wasn't a nice guy. I just wish...I wish I didn't have to hurt others to survive. Many people didn't deserve what I did, but if push came to shove, I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again, because that's how I have to live. I take life so that I can live, like any other animal, but it doesn't make me feel any better. That's...that's why I'm scared to stay here. I don't want to be sent into a hunger rage and hurt you, any of you."

"Wheeler..." He heard her step forward. He also heard something else.

"Stop!" His shout made her freeze in her tracks. He slowly turned around, eyes glancing at the ground, "Don't move." There it was again, a slight rustling of the bushes as they moved, and it was all too familiar to him. Suddenly, out of the darkness, a snake struck. Wheeler was quicker. He grabbed it behind the head before it could latch onto Linka and held it as it tried to struggle its way out. He held up the snake with both hands, careful to keep the head locked in place. Its venom wouldn't bother him, but he couldn't say the same for Linka.

"A Fer-de-lance..." she gasped. He nodded and put it on the ground. Before he let go, he allowed it to bite him so that it felt like it had attacked before it ran, otherwise it still would have tried to bite them. He'd dealt with the snakes before. Linka was shocked by this, "Wheeler!"

"I'll be fine, babe. Venom won't hurt me, just makes me weak. Nasty little things, though." He led her out of the jungle so she wouldn't get hurt. She looked guilty for what happened.

"Why did you let it bite you?" she asked.

"So that it wouldn't try to attack once freed. It attacked because it felt it was in danger and would continue to do so until it had attacked something, then fled from the danger." She looked down at the bite and saw that he was bleeding, but only slightly. It made sense from the small wounds, but even then she was surprised that no blood had come out yet, only on the surface. And it wasn't red. Wheeler noticed. He said, "This is part of me. My blood is blue and sluggish because I'm a vampire."

"This is what you were born with?" Wheeler nodded, "So vampires are born."

"Born or cursed. I was born." Linka nodded.

"The cursed bite, да?" Wheeler opened his mouth, showing his elongated fangs. He pressed his thumb against the side of one, then pulled it away to show her the sudden liquid that stuck to it. It was a sickly green color, mostly clear, but the color was still there. It made Linka shiver.

"This stuff can transform a person into a vampire in the course of a week. Slow-acting, but it makes a lot more changes than you think." He wiped it off on his jeans, letting his fangs sink back to normal, "It's also partially because of my venom that a lot of poisonous things don't affect me as badly as they affect a normal person. Fer-de-lance venom can make you lose an arm, but it just weakens me."

"What is the other part?"

"Bradycardia. Like,  _really severe_  bradycardia. Slow heartbeat, which can be life-threatening. It's just part of being a vampire, though." Wheeler shook his head, "I wanted to stay away from you guys, but somehow, you got me talking, babe."

"Is that not a good thing? You have proven that you do not have 'bad luck,' you are not dangerous." Wheeler rolled his eyes.

"Not at the moment, but you'd be surprised at what I can do."

"I saw. You can snatch striking snakes out of mid-air, making you very fast." Wheeler couldn't help but feel proud from the comment.

"Thanks, babe." They were now at the edge of the jungle. Wheeler paused. Linka looked back at him.

"Are you still afraid?" she asked. He nodded. She went on, "You do not have to be. You will not hurt anyone, Wheeler, and we are still your friends. That has not changed."

"I still can't." He shook his head, "You've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Being a vampire is more complicated than you think."

"Then will you be stuck in the jungle all day?" He nodded, "Can we visit you?"

"Just stay away. Don't make this harder than it has to be." He turned and left her alone. The guilt of hurting them to help them was eating him from the inside, but he ignored it.

 _It's better this way._  And he firmly believed it.

* * *

Linka told the others about her visit with Wheeler when she returned to the huts, got dressed, and went to breakfast. Gi, with her more scientific mind, wished that she could talk with Wheeler a little more on what it was like to be a vampire. Kwame wanted to talk about what happened in Volgograd between them. Ma-ti only wanted his friend back, even if he did respect Wheeler's wishes. As when Wheeler had left for the funeral, they tried to make the best of the day without him, but it wasn't as fun. They missed their friend. Gaia saw this and wanted to try talking to Wheeler again, but she doubted he'd listen. He didn't want to see the Planeteers, so there was one other person she could try. With a wave of her hand, she summoned the powers of the Rings. The Captain soon stood before her and it looked like he had the same idea she did.

"Do you think he'll listen to me?" asked Planet.

"I hope he will. He doesn't need to drown in his fear of himself for the rest of his life."

"I'll try my best. Can't make any promises." He flew into the sky and was gone. Gaia wished him luck. It didn't take him long to find Wheeler, who was sitting in a tree, staring at the sky. Cap joined him, sitting on another branch. He didn't even look at the elemental being.

"You came to talk some sense into me?" Wheeler asked.

"Try, at least."

"Shouldn't have." All was quiet.

"...I know you don't trust me completely." Cap began after a moment, "I know you've always been suspicious of me because of your father, and I understand that. I'm not here to make things better. I'm only asking you to give yourself a chance."

"I keep myself in check so that I don't harm anyone. Before they knew, things were fine. Now they know, and everything's different."

"It's not." Cap shook his head, "I know Gaia said this to you before, but you're still you, Wheeler. Even if you're a vampire, that doesn't change. Just because we all learned something about you, it doesn't mean we don't want to be your friends anymore."

"I was already pushing things when I let myself join the Planeteers. I don't wanna go lax on myself now that people know."

"You don't have to. Everyone can help you keep yourself in check." Wheeler didn't respond for a few seconds.

"I'll only go back," he began, "if you dig a pit for me to get stuck in if something happens. Just so you know, I can jump almost 20 feet straight up and my claws can latch onto most solid surfaces. The sand around here will keep me from crawling out if you dig it deep enough." Planet gave the Fire-bearer a sad look but nodded.

"Deal." He got off the branch and floated in the air, "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Wheeler looked him straight in the eye, "Don't be surprised if one of us dies when this all goes wrong." Planet was silent, staring back, and then flew off. He knew death, he was as old as Gaia, but hearing it come from one of his Planeteers didn't make him feel any better about it. Wheeler was so accustomed, so sure of death, he  _knew_  something was going to go wrong, whether someone died or was cursed. Cap wished he could say Wheeler was incorrect, but who knew? As it was, he set to work on the pit. He made it on the sand, as per the suggestion, and dug it to 25 feet deep and 10 feet wide, more than enough to keep Wheeler enclosed and to allow him to move around. After displacing the sand, Cap couldn't help but look down into the hold with sadness. He heard one of the Planeteers approach. It was Gi.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Part of Wheeler's deal. He said he'd come back, but only if this was dug, in case he went out-of-control." Wheeler hadn't actually said it, but it had been implied. Gi nodded.

"Makes sense." She stared down into the hole too, "Will he ever be happy with himself after this?"

"I don't know, Gi." said Planet, "He lived with this his whole life, and to have it come out to his friends has really made him scared. He wants you all to hate him so that you can hurt him if something happens, but he doesn't want to lose you. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah." She turned to him, "At least you talked a little sense into him." Cap shrugged.

"Maybe. I'm not sure how long it'll last, though." He went into the air and began to glow, "The Power is Yours!" He split into five lights and returned to the rings. Gi looked down at hers as it glowed with a blue light.

"If you can't talk sense into 'em, maybe you should knock some." she murmured, then looked to the jungle. She hoped talking a little with Wheeler would make him realize he didn't have to be so scared, but if that didn't happen, she had no qualms about literally knocking some sense into her friend. He really kinda needed it anyway. And maybe, once he saw how much they missed him, he'd be more inclined to sleep in his hut again. Spending time in the jungle wasn't exactly good on the joints. In fact, he probably knew more about the jungle on the island than Ma-ti did by now, since he hunted there. That made Gi pause for a moment.

 _He needs to drink from large animals because of his body size._  she thought,  _But there aren't that many on the island. Does Gaia do something to allow him to eat when he's here?_  Gi wanted to ask Gaia about it but didn't want to intrude upon the eating habits of her friend. But maybe there was a way for Wheeler to eat without having to drink blood. She knew vampires drank blood to survive, but maybe there was a way around that. If she could figure it out, then it would probably be a relief to everyone.

The gears in her head were turning, and Gi knew they wouldn't stop until she figured this out. She she went to work by looking for Gaia.


	6. Fear

Beware, beware, be skeptical  
Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold  
Deceit so natural  
But a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning

**-** **_Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing_ ** **, Set It Off**

* * *

From her research, Blight found that there were vampires all over the world. This didn’t help her narrow down her search. However, the recent report of a so-called ‘vampire hunter’ being arrested recently _did_ catch her attention.

“Volgograd, huh?” she murmured to herself, bringing up the report. She was surprised to find that he’d be apprehended by the Planet Punks, of all people. And apparently, he’d been on the hunt for a man named Dmitri Mendeleev through Europe, from Germany to Russia. She looked up Dmitri on her hacking database and found some interesting information on him, “MAL, baby, it looks like we’re going to Russia for our first vampire.”

“Brr, sounds like a place my circuits wouldn’t like.” She patted his screen.

“Oh, you’ll be fine.” MAL did not agree but didn’t argue. Blight was on the hunt and he loved to see her hunt. The scientist wondered if she could ask Nukem to help her search, being radioactive Russia and all, then remembered that he didn’t want to get involved with vampires. She shrugged. His loss.

* * *

Wheeler stepped out of the jungle, hesitant and wary. He still wasn’t completely sold on the idea of talking with his friends after they knew what he was, but he’d made a deal with Cap and he wasn’t going back on it. He had no choice when a soccer ball flew out of nowhere and he caught it with one foot. He retracted every vampiric thing about himself and looked at where it had come from. It was Ma-ti, and he was standing a distance away, hesitant. Wheeler looked down at the ball, then up at the younger male. He smiled, keeping his teeth carefully tucked away behind his lips. He didn’t want to alarm Ma-ti.

“It’s okay, little buddy.” He picked up the ball, “Cap convinced me to come back. Can’t say it’s the best idea, but…” Wheeler shrugged and walked over to Ma-ti, “Anything you wanna know?”

“Lots of things. I’m just glad to have you back.” Ma-ti hugged him. Wheeler was surprised at first, frozen, and then hugged back with one hand.

“Yeah, me too.” he murmured, “I don’t wanna hurt anyone, but I miss you guys.”

“You won’t hurt us. I know that.” Wheeler stared down at him. How could Ma-ti be so certain on something he had no idea of? He knew the other wasn’t using his Heart Power, either, and he took pity on Ma-ti. The Amazonian boy had no idea what he was getting into.

“So, why were you playing with this soccer ball?” Wheeler asked once they pulled away, “Wanted to play by yourself?” Ma-ti shrugged.

“I tried.” He kicked the ground slightly, “It’s been less fun. Everyone misses you and nothing is fun anymore.” Wheeler blinked.

“You guys have had a good time without me before. What’s different?” Ma-ti shrugged again.

“Maybe it was the fact that you hid something from us and didn’t want to tell us anything. You just continued to run away.”

“Oh…” He hadn’t realized how much of an effect his self-loathing would have on everyone, “Well, I’m back for good now. Let’s play.” This caused Ma-ti to raise his head and smile at the redhead, who smiled back. Maybe there was hope yet.

* * *

“I know you have bradycardia from what Linka told us this morning, but what about your blood? Why is it blue?” Gi now had her chance to ask a few questions about Wheeler, and with his reluctant agreement, he was answering to the best of his ability. The other Planeteers were listening in too as they sat in the living room in the main hut.

“Well, you know the stuff that makes most blood red? Haemoglobin, I think it is? Vampires don’t have as much of that. We have more of something called haemocyanin, like in a squid or spider, making our blood blue, and it’s more copper-based than iron-based. In fact, our blood is the reason we have to _drink_ blood.”

“Really?” Gi was writing everything down. Wheeler nodded.

“Yeah. Like how mosquitos and vampire bats have to drink blood to survive, we do it too. We don’t just drink it for the nutrients, we drink it because of the copper in the blood. For some reason, all vampires have a weird thing where we can’t get enough copper in our bodies and so we have to take it in by drinking blood.”

“Then why do you take it from red blood instead of blue blood?” Linka asked.

“Probably because not as many animals have it and even then they’re smaller and don’t have as much blood in their system.”

“You could have copper supplements.” Kwame suggested.

“Tried that. Didn’t work. Made me really sick.” Wheeler shook his head, “Blood’s the only way.” Gi tapped her pen on her chin, thinking.

“Was it a reaction like you’d ate too much?” The redhead shrugged again.

“I don’t know, honestly.”

“If it was, then maybe you drink that kind of blood also because it doesn’t have as much copper in it so you won’t make yourself sick.” she said, “Vampires are so cool!” Wheeler snorted.

“Yeah, trying saying that again after you have to spend your whole life as one.” They all became a little subdued at the remark.

“But if you have such a slow heartbeat, how does the blood get anywhere? How can you be so fast and strong because of that?” Ma-ti tried to get things back on track.

“Don’t ask me, little buddy, I don’t know everything there is to being a vampire. My best guess, though, is that vampires can get a lot of energy out of a small package.” Wheeler tilted his head in thought, “And I guess that helps explain why we can hold our breath longer, since we don’t need as much because of our slow pulse.”

“And vampires are still nocturnal hunters?” Gi asked.

“Duh.” the Fire-bearer said, trying not to roll his eyes, “The only reason I’m awake during the day is either because of jetlag or because of the time difference to New York. I slept during the day there, so it makes sense I’d be awake during the day on the other side of the world.” He closed his eyes, “Doesn’t mean that the sun gets any less irritating, though. Vampire eyes aren’t made for the daytime, but we can stand it. And when you see a vampire at night, our eyes kinda have the same reflective thing a cat has, and you might even think it’s a cat at first, but it’s not.”

“Why is that, Yankee?” Linka wondered.

“Y’see how my eye looks normal right now?” They nodded, “It gets smaller in the dark or when I’m hunting and looks like a cat’s eye, with the diamond shape and all.”

“Interesting.” Gi scribbled it down, “And I don’t think I even have to ask about your nails and teeth. Retractable?”

“Like a cat’s or a snake’s.” Wheeler affirmed.

“Anything else you’d like to say?” The redhead paused for a moment.

“Yeah, actually. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but vampires are made for climbing, like in a forest, but we can’t stand the forest. Cities are like a godsend to us.” As he didn’t (and wouldn’t) elaborate, they determined that was all they were going to get out of Wheeler at the moment and decided to not pester him for a while. After all, he’d been avoiding them for this very reason, just in case they decided to hate him if they learned some of what he could do. And everyone left him alone, except for Kwame. Wheeler didn’t seem surprised at all when the darker man took a seat beside him.

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“What happened in Volgograd?” Wheeler raised an eyebrow.

“You should know, you were there.” Kwame shook his head.

“That is not what I am asking, Wheeler. I want to know what was going on with _you_.” The redhead blinked. He was doing a lot of that lately. He turned his head away.

“...My territory was being invaded a little, okay? I’m not used to being with other vampires, so I was being territorial. It wasn’t Dmitri’s fault, I was just…just a little antsy, I guess.”

“But your territory is not in Russia, is it?” Wheeler shook his head.

“No.” He glanced at Kwame, “You guys are like family to me, but you’re not vampires. I didn’t want any of you getting hurt.” This surprised Kwame and made him so confused at the same time.

“Then why did you threaten me?” Wheeler winced.

“Even though I wanted to protect you, I also wanted to keep my secret. You guys were getting so close. I was afraid.” He cast his eyes down, “You don’t have to forgive me for what I did. I honestly don’t want you to. I only want to say I’m sorry.”

“You may not want forgiveness, but I understand and forgive you.” Kwame put a hand on his shoulder, “It is not your fault, Wheeler.” The Fire-bearer shrugged his hand off.

“Leave it be, dude.” he said quietly, “I made a bad mistake. I don’t want to hear it, even if you don’t hate me for it.” Kwame gazed at Wheeler for a moment, then left the other man be. He wanted to be alone, and so Kwame would give it to him. Wheeler was silently glad for it.

* * *

Sniffing the air. Blood on the wind. Perfect night to hunt and he wasn’t starving anymore. After Wheeler’s gift, with the small donation of blood every week, he was better, but still had to hunt. He couldn’t just sit around and drink. His instincts wouldn’t let him, he had to hunt, to get the thrill of it. It was like he had to hunt for sport or he’d go crazy. However, unlike last time, he was only hunting small things, not humans. Things he could hunt for sport and give to others to eat, such as a dog. But any exposed blood was just _asking_ for trouble when a vampire was around. He followed the scent across the city, from streetlight to streetlight, and frowned. Usually, vampires could smell a drop of blood in a 50-foot radius, but this was beyond that. It made him suspicious, but his hunger and instincts made him chase it.

Eventually he came to the same warehouse that Michael had used and he hesitated. But then his stomach growled and his instincts forced him inside. He entered through a door, wary of attacks, and suddenly, his sharp ears picked up the sound of bleating. A lamb. Immediately his mind focused on finding it and hunting it down. He had no room for human sense. There was something about a lamb’s young, sweet blood that made it addictive. He’d tasted it before and it had been a long time since. He wasn’t letting this slip away. He slowly ventured closer, wary of the lamb fleeing, and followed the scent and sounds. He rounded a corner and found the tiny animal tied to a stake and trying to get free. It was bleeding from a cut in is side. He didn’t go closer. Even to his predator mind this was suspicious. He sniffed the air for other scents. There was none except the blood. If there was any, the blood was probably overpowering it. His stomach growled again. He was too hungry to just leave the lamb bleeding to death. He rushed forward, so as to not get caught in any traps, and dug his claws into the animal. It cried out in pain and fear as he sunk its teeth into its neck. He needed to learn a less messy way of killing, but for now, it would do.

He jumped when suddenly, a cage fell over him and he screeched in surprise. He tried hitting the see-through walls, trying to escape, but they didn’t budge. He tried to slide his claws under the edge to lift it but couldn’t, his claws unable to fit under the edge, as if there was no room for them. It always worked before! He screeched again, the noise bouncing off the walls of the cage and causing him to back down from making noise, and out of the darkness outside the cage approached a figure. He growled and bore his teeth, as if it would scare away the figure, but it only came closer. Eventually, with his night vision, he could make it out to be a woman in all black, preventing him from seeing her features, but it didn’t stop his ears from hearing her laughter.

“Hello, Dmitri.” she said, “I wanted to ask a _favor_ of you...” And Dmitri backed away, a bad feeling settling in his bones. He had every right to be worried.

* * *

Linka knocked on the door to his hut near sunset, wondering if he would answer her. He’d tried to get along with them again, but would always move away and leave, as if he didn’t fit in anymore. She wouldn’t try to change his mind about that, wishing that he wouldn’t be so stubborn that he was different now when he had never been, but she wanted to know a few things he hadn’t revealed. They liked each other enough to almost want to date, there was a chance he’d tell her things he’d tell no one else.

“Go away.” came the growl from inside the hut. There were also some sounds that reminded Linka of a cat using a scratching post.

“Wheeler, I need to speak with you.”

“You can do it just fine from where you are.”

“Please let me in.” Asking nicely to Wheeler wasn’t something she did often. There was a pause.

“Fine.” he sighed, “Door’s unlocked, anyway.” She went in. Linka stopped in the doorway, surprised at the sight.

“...Are you-?”

“Yes, I’m sharpening my nails on a scratching post. Don’t be so surprised.” he muttered. He sat on his bed, the island in the messy room, and grounded between his legs was a small scratching post, which he was clawing at like a cat with no time to lose.

“Why...why do you not use a nail file?” Linka asked.

“They don’t do a good job.” Wheeler said, “This also has a bamboo core instead of a wooden one, which is great for me.”

“Why not a wooden one?” She closed the door and moved over his messy floor with care, trying not to trip as she went to sit on his bed with him.

“Poisonous.”

“What?”

“Wood, it’s poisonous to me. Any kind is poisonous, sorta like a wood allergy, and it affects all vampires.”

“So the tale of a stake in a vampire’s heart..?” Wheeler shrugged.

“It’s true, but you don’t have to stab one in the heart to kill it. The allergy’ll get us first.”

“Are vampires allergic to anything else?” Linka asked.

“Garlic, definitely. Also holy water.” She raised her eyebrows.

“Really? And how do you know it is blessed?”

“Well, I’ve only heard reports of what it does to vampires, but if we drink it, for some reason it makes us choke on our own blood.”

“That sounds horrible.” Linka said. Wheeler shrugged again.

“If I was choking on my own blood I’d be freaked out too.” He stopped messing with the scratching post and set it aside, “What do you want?”

“Oh, right.” She shifted in place nervously, “I wish to know something you did not speak of with the others.”

“What, exactly?” He frowned at her.

“Why do you hate yourself so much now that we know? You were not like this before.”

“None of your business.” As much as she wanted to be angry at him for his answer, Linka took a breath to keep calm.

“Please, Wheeler. I do not want you to hate yourself and I wish to understand why things changed when they were not different before.”

“Of course things were different.” he said, “You didn’t know what I was, so I had no reason to act differently. I act that way now to keep you guys at a distance.” He glanced away, “I know what I can do, and I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of me. I never showed that I hated myself because I didn’t want to get you guys involved.”

“Well, it seems it worked against you.” Linka commented.

“Yeah, backfired big time.” Wheeler still didn’t look at her. She forced him to by putting a hand on his cheek and turning his head.

“If you did not allow yourself to show your self-hate before, then you should not do it now. We do not hate you, any of us, no matter how much you try to push us away.”

“But I’m a monster, Linka.” He said softly, sadly, “You don’t understand what that’s like, what pressure it puts on me to be as normal as possible and keeping myself from hurting anyone.”

“You are still no different than before. Nothing has changed.” She tugged him down into a hug, startling him a little, but he hugged her back and leaned into her neck, wanting to get as much as he could out of this brief moment. Wheeler nuzzled her neck, breathing in Linka's scent as he felt her pulse thrum against his face. His instincts began to bubble up, but he pushed them down. He couldn't deal with them right now, it wouldn't end well if he did. And yet, he couldn't resist kissing the skin of her neck, being careful to only do lips and not bite or lick. But as he did so, his instincts became stronger and stronger and pushed out his reason, his eyes turning from their round pupils to cat-like slits. And Linka knew things were going too far when she felt his teeth brush her neck, so she tried to push him away. In response, Wheeler growled and held her down by the shoulders, baring his teeth, the fangs now plain to be seen. They were so long they easily hung over his lips, bottom and top fangs exposed, quite like how he described them like a snake’s, his long claws barely missing marking her skin. Linka tried not to show her fear at the way he looked at her, like she was nothing but prey, and reached her hand back to grab something to hit him with. Managing to do so, she stabbed the object into Wheeler's upper arm, causing him to yelp and back off, where she fled out of his reach, even though she knew he could reach her in a single leap. But when she saw what she had stabbed him with, her heart dropped. It had been a pencil, a simple pencil, and yet Wheeler had said that any wood would poison a vampire. The redhead ripped out the item and, upon seeing what it was, yelped again, dropped it, and ran from the hut. Linka chased after him, calling his name, but there was no response. He had ran out of her sight in seconds and she didn't know where he went. He was probably poisoned from the wood now, so she had to find him. She didn't want him to die because it was her fault. And if there was any way to find him in time, she had to ask for Gaia’s help.

* * *

She knew right away when her Planeteer was hurt. She was connected to all of them, even if she tried not to be for their privacy. She knew their feelings, when they got hurt, anything that happened to them. Before Linka even arrived she knew what had happened and was trying to steer Wheeler to the pit, just mentally nudging and trying to get to him, but his instincts were too strong. And even when she pushed, he hissed and pushed her right back out. Something had to be done.

“Gaia!”

“I know, Linka.” She turned around to face the Wind-bearer, “I’m going to call Captain Planet to help get him under control.”

“Is there anything to be done about the wood?” The guilt could be plainly seen on Linka’s face.

“If I can get close enough I can cure him, but for now, stay in your hut.” The blonde nodded and turned to go, “Linka?”

“Yes?”

“It’s not your fault. This is his vampire side.”

“I suppose.” Linka didn’t seem to believe Gaia as she left and the spirit didn’t blame her.

_But I have to deal with this right now, don’t I?_ Raising a hand, she summoned the powers of the Rings together to call her champion, who appeared by her side in seconds.

“After I find him, do you want me to take him to the pit?”

“I don’t know. He should be fine after I get the wood out, but he might not calm down for a while.” Cap nodded.

“Meet you there, then.” Planet flew out the doorway and Gaia closed her eyes. She may need to tell the other Planeteers to be careful but she also didn’t want to worry them, so for now, she would only keep an eye out.

* * *

He’d escaped, but his arm was throbbing and he couldn’t seem to get enough air into his lungs. He knew he’d been poisoned, his arm was swelling and the area around the puncture was getting bluer, but he wasn’t going to die without a fight. He glanced up and staggered to his feet when he heard something in the air, trying to determine what it was, giving a weak growl. Red and crystal, it was Captain Planet and the vampire certainly didn’t want anyone around right now. He got on all-fours and began running, limping somewhat in his hurting arm and slower than usual because of his lack of breath. He had to skid to a stop when Cap landed in front of him, impeding his progress. He snarled, baring his teeth, and the champion held up his hands.

“Easy, Wheeler.” he cooed, “I’m not gonna hurt you.” Cap stepped closer and Wheeler tried to slash at him, to keep him at bay, but the being didn’t even flinch. The vampire tried to do some more slashes and feints but when they gave no results, he had no choice but to leap and attack. Planet grabbed him before he could land and said, “Gotcha!” before taking to the skies. Wheeler didn’t like this at all, screeching and thrashing to free himself, and eventually Cap landed. There was another person, a woman this time with a white streak through her hair, and it didn’t take much to know who she was. He hissed and growled, struggling to get free, and when nothing happened, he knew he only had one choice left.

Vampire fangs are actually not as tough as they look. They’re very sensitive and will leave a vampire in very extreme pain if broken. It’s also very hard to extract them, so mostly the teeth are used for displays of dominance and anger, but if need be, they’re also used to bite, which Wheeler did. However, he didn’t remember or didn’t realize that Cap had crystal, unbreakable skin, and that was the message his teeth sent when he bit down. He howled at the pain and thrashed even more, causing Cap to wince in empathy.

“Hurry up, Gaia.” grunted the being, “I don’t think he’s going to let me keep doing this for much longer.”

“Just hold his arm still.” Gaia trotted over as Cap tightened his grip. Planet had been trying to use his Heart Power to convey to Wheeler that he wasn’t a threat but he couldn’t seem to get through to the Planeteer’s addled mind. All that was in there at the moment were angry instincts and pain. Gaia then laid her arms on the swelling and used her powers to heal the area, removing the wood poisoning and clearing it out wherever it had gone in Wheeler’s body. It was like a purifying flush to get every single toxin out and quickly cleaned the wound, but it didn’t calm Wheeler. In fact, if it was possible, he got even madder, and so Cap was forced to drop Wheeler in the pit before he lost his grip. The vampire tumbled for a moment, then got his bearings and snarled at them, jumping to try and reach them but only getting to the sides, where the sand gave way under his claws. Several times he tried this before giving up, sitting down and glaring at them while growling under his breath. It was clear it would be a while before he’d be back to normal.

“At least he won’t die now, right?” Planet asked. Gaia nodded.

“There’s no more wood in his system, so he should be fine.” She gazed into the hole sadly, “I only wish we didn’t have to leave him like this.”

“And why couldn’t I use my Heart Power on him?” Cap asked, frowning, “It always worked before.”

“Vampires are different, Captain.” said Gaia, “Their minds aren’t the same as most. There’s the human side with rational thinking, and then there’s the hungry, instinct-driven vampire side. You can’t completely control someone with Heart and you can’t completely calm an animal, either. He wasn’t willing to be calmed and his mind was too strong to let us force it on him. The best you could do is use it unexpectedly on him, but it still doesn’t work too well. And I don’t like trying to control anyone, even if they need calming down once in a while.” Another snarled drifted out of the pit. Gaia turned to her champion, “Do you think you could put a cover on, just to keep him dry overnight?”

“Don’t worry.” Cap flew up and in a minute had the covering constructed, “See? All done.” He hesitated to put it down, though. Gaia laid a hand on his arm.

“He’ll be okay. I hate to say it, but he’s been dealing with this long before he joined the Planeteers. He knew his limits and tried to warn us to be careful.”

“Let’s hope it’s not too serious, though. He can’t keep hiding for the rest of his life, right? It’s not his fault this happened, not at all.” Cap shook his head, “I wish we could make him understand that.”

“Give him time. He’ll understand eventually, despite this setback.” Cap nodded and with that, laid down the covering. Wheeler gave a bark of rage but didn’t make any other sound, so Planet returned to the Rings and Gaia went back to the crystal chamber, both with heavy hearts of what had happened tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while. I had half of the chapter written, then hit a block until now. This chapter includes some vampire stuff I made up myself (from tons of research) to make vampires seem more plausible to exist. Any OOCness, just point it out and I'll fix it. And if you'd like an explanation of some of the other scientific properties of vampires I've put together, I can put a list down at the bottom of one of the chapters later on, or maybe just an AN.


End file.
